Liquid Metal: A Quicksilver Novel
by LieuDrake
Summary: Josephine Dane is a mutant in a newly reestablished school for higher learning. It seems they had won the war on peace until the world breaks its vow.
1. Chapter 1: Quicksilver

Last edited: Feb. 2nd 2016

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I sighed with complete and utter disappointment. I stood there in the concrete surrounded basement, looking at the newly 'collected' items my best friend had acquired. These items included a multitude of little knickknacks a radio and even a freaking pinball machine. My arms were crossed and my foot tapping.

"You really need to stop." I said turning to look at my speedy friend.

We were currently in the hideout/sanctuary that was his basement, an arbitrary place adorned with pumpkin orange walls and an unfinished wooden ceiling.

"Nah..." Peter said, not really paying me any attention. "You see, what if it turns out that I need it all someday?" He asked his eyes transfixed upon the screen of the yellow Pong machine.

"When will you ever need five different soda signs?" I asked.

"I may go into the business" he said defensively before appearing in his chair not even a second later.

He Looked up at me from the table-tennis paddle he held currently in his hand, weighing it, spinning it in his grasp. "Game?" he offered, holding up the paddle in an offering gesture.

"Are you kidding? No I don't want a game" I said, my arms still crossed and Peter simply shrugged.

"I'd die" I added in a quiet mumble and I saw him smirk and simply start a game by himself becoming only a blur and 'whoosh' as he went to the opposite side to hit his target.

Peter Maximoff is one of my only long time friends, Don't feel bad though, I was a weird kid. We met when we were both eleven and both our mutations already manifested. He of course, had always maintained his cocky attitude and I had kept my weird social tendencies that probably should have gotten me kicked out of more than one respected establishment, but it was one of the things I loved about him and I was glad he put up with my antics.

Now about my mutation, I guess you could call me a bit of a telepath of sorts. Although I can't exactly read minds and thoughts, but I can look at someone and analyze them. It's like reading a personal profile: date of birth, date of death, hobbies, weaknesses, important personal events. It's all there like a screen floating in the air. Even sometimes I watched those events and memories like I was a ghost in the scene. All though I never meant to do it and it was sometimes traumatizing for me it was a thing I had to deal with and I usually took it with a smile and an obnoxious joke.

"Where were you last week?" I asked suddenly remembering the question I meant to ask earlier, but it had managed to slip my mind.

"What are you talking about?" He replied, trying to be sly and avoiding my gaze.

I rolled my eyes. "I talked to your sister, she barley knew but that doesn't mean you were here in your rats nest all week." I practically lived at the Maximoff household so I knew when something was up. Plus, mutant powers are always a kicker.

Peter flinched when I mentioned Wanda. They where twins, but that doesn't mean they were besties all the time. She was often away doing some kind of charity work in some poor part of the world or meeting some big wig and negotiating projects, and over all really successful things, but she had come home last week and the week before just to visit.

"I had a job offer." He said finally with a shrug.

I sighed, shaking my head. I knew that that would be the most that I got out of him. It was gonna be a long summer.

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Hey guys! Thanks for checking out my quicksilver story!i know this chapter is super short but it's my first one and I want you all to get a feel for it. I also want to say that I'm gonna be following both the comic plot (hence his sister's involvement cause I think she's really cool) and the movie plot! Favorite and comment with any thoughts ideas and suggestions!

-Em


	2. Chapter 2: The Pentagon

Last Edited Feb. 2nd 2016

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Are you serious, the pentagon?" I actually wasn't that surprised, more like disappointed that he had found it too small of an event to tell me about. It taken me a good half an hour to coax the story out of him. I guess it would have been ten times easier to just look at the event myself but he had made me promise that I wouldn't do that without his consent when we first met. People often get so defensive when they learn that I know everything about them, but at this point in my life I have not found anything about a person that I can harshly judge them for. Humans, after all, are strange creatures.

"Yep" He said with one of the ridiculous smiles plastered on his face.

"Just to break out this one guy..."

"Precisely."

"A guy who shot and killed the president of the United States."

"Yeah" He looked as though he was surprised at how I was taking this. "There a problem?"

"Not as long as they didn't see your face" I said with exasperation as I fell back into a rather fluffy chair and my hair fell in front of my eyes.

My gaze was fixed upon the television screen; the channel was the evening news. I was the type of person who was actually interested in what was happening around the world rather than a whole lot of my generation. A small portion of the back of brain knew the reason I was always glued to the news was because of the tension growing between human and mutants and though I hated admitting it, scared me a lot and it should anyone.

I sat with a foot tucked underneath me and and a pillow situated in my lap as I hugged it. I was so absorbed in the story of a fire that had broken out in a local diner that the sudden words the came from peter made me jump.

"You gonna go?" He asked

"Go where?" I asked relaxing back into my little grove in the cushion.

"That school" He said

"what school?" I asked.

"The school that lady mentioned before the fire" he said. Huh, guess I zoned out longer than I though I did.

"What Kind of school is it?" I asked as I pried my attention from the man who was droning on the screen.

"Mutant school" He said popping a chip into his mouth.

"So that really does exist?" I confirmed. For the past few months, the few other mutants I had know had been approached to attend a school for gifted people. I thought it was some kind of privet school for all those kids who scored high on some prestigious test, but there was talk that they were offered a safe place to learn not just the state-given curriculum.

"My family would never let me" I said shrugged. I tried to search my mind of what I needed to learn about what I could do. I knew that my mutation wasn't so special or even interesting, but I had gotten over it a long time ago. With a mutation like mine I could get away with going my whole life with out being found out if I was careful, which cant be said for everyone out there.

"But let's say they showed up at your house and offered you a place, do you think your mom would really have the stomach to say no?"

I scoffed, he was right. My mother might have been bitter about what I was, but she also thinks that I am some time bomb and practically shakes to be near me. Its absurd because I'm not really the sadistic type nor dangerous in any feasible way

"I mean I would really like to go if it even exists, but what about Lorna? What if she turns out to be a mutant too? I've gotta be there if she is. You know my parents will ship her off god knows where."

"Then I'd look after her" he said and my heart gave way slightly and I smiled, "you know that"

"You wouldn't go?" I asked tilting my head. And he nodded to confirm. "Why?" I pressed, genuinely curious.

"It's not really something explainable at the moment." He said and I was taken aback slightly. Peter always shared his thoughts, but I decided not to ask why because it obviously meant something to him.


	3. Chapter 3: Charles Xavier

last Edited: Feb. 3rd 2016

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I woke up the next morning with a horribly slug-like attitude. The day seemed to be glaring at me from the get go.

"Josephine!" I heard someone yell from downstairs. I groaned and buried my head under my pillow. After drifting off for about three minuets I heard my name again. Knowing I would never be aloud to go back to sleep I threw off my comforter and got out of bed, grumbling. I slunk to my bathroom and attempted to control my ridicules mass of blonde curls with a light gel. I rubbed some moisturizer on my face in a rather unattractive fashion and impressed my half-alive self by managing to do a decent liquid liner. I pulled on clean clothes (one tends not to care what they look like when first waking up) and flopped down the stairs.

I heard my mom talking to someone that was not my dad in the living room. Turning the corner, I saw two strangers; one sitting on the couch, the other in a wheel chair.

Now I usually try not to pry into other people's minds but I couldn't help my self. I looked at the life of the tall lanky one on the couch. Flicking by his life profile quickly so I just got the gist of it. Science kid, real smart, mutant, had some kind of mishap with a drug, his name was Hank... but overall he seemed like a nice guy, though he had a quick temper.

In the few seconds I had zoned out, my mother had noticed me standing there.

"Ah there she is!" She said in an uncharacteristically happy voice. And both of the men turned to look at me.

"Did I do something wrong...?" I asked apprehensively slow. Tempted to take a step back.

"Oh no! we were just discussing your, your-ah..." I sighed, she had always been uncomfortable with the whole thing.

"Mutation" one of the men finished patiently and my mother smiled in a awkward thanks.

Well he's British I thought to myself.

"You're from that school, aren't you?" I asked with a huge smile sweeping across my face and I remembered what Peter and I were talking about last night.

"Indeed I am." He said "allow me to introduce myself, I'm-

"-Charles Xavier." I finished, smiling brightly. He had to have known about my abilities because not even a microexpression changed on his face. He extended his hand. I shook it, still mesmerized that he was actually here.

"Yes, I was hoping you'd be interested actually."

"Are you kidding? Of course I am" I said, taking a seat next to my mother who then proceeded to ever-so-slightly shift away from me.

"The semester starts in a little over a month" Hank said, speaking for the first time. "So far we have nearly seventy-five kids enrolled." He looked proud and I figured he should be.

A silence started to spread over the room until it was shattered by the sound of the phone ringing in the kitchen. I immediately shot up and raced to get it. I caught my mother give me a nasty look so I have her a wink.

"Hello?" I answered, picking up the shrieking communication device.

"I need to talk to you." I heard Peter say over the line.

"Well, isn't that what you're doing right now?" I asked cheekily, looping my index finger around the spiraling cord.

"It's about Wanda" he explained, ignoring my comment.

"Well shit, what'd she do?" I asked now that he had caught my attention.

There was a pause, the light background static being the only noise that was emitted from the speaker.

"Are you decent?" He asked finally. I laughed.

"Yeah, and if you come now, you might meet a couple of interesting guests." I said looking out the window to what only could be the car of our guests that was at the curb.

"Well be sure to tell mother-dearest I'm on my way." And with that he hung up on me.


	4. Chapter 4: A New Record

Last Edited: Feb. 3rd 2016

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As soon as I set down the phone on the receiver I hit the stopwatch that I had put next to the phone a long time ago. I stood there, just tapping my foot watching the tiny needle race across the face of the clock. I did this for about sixteen seconds before I heard a brief knock on the door. Pushing down the timer the hand stopped and I skipped over to the door still hearing my mother attempting to maintain a conversation in the living room.

"I do believe you've made a new record my good sir." I said as I opened the door to see a rather accomplished looking Peter.

"Whose car is that?" He asked jerking a thumb at the one parked on the curb.

"What, you didn't look?" I asked with surprise.

"If I had done that I wouldn't have beaten my time." He said like it was obvious.

I held the door open and he waltzed through it making sure to be way too close to my face just to be weird and he ruffled my hair making me swat at his hand, the curls didn't appreciate getting messed with more than necessary.

Peter found his way to my kitchen and as if by routine, proceeded to raid my food and organize the dishes in my sink. I leaned against the counter with my arms crossed as I watched him speed around my kitchen like it was his own making who-knows-what. Stopping here and there for a split second to do a small task. It was always rather amusing to watch him.

"So... what's up?" I asked hopping up so that I was siting cross-legged on top of the counter. "You mentioned your sister."

"Well she just hasn't talked to me in a while..." He said with a frown as he set out a pot, putting a spoon in his mouth to gain an extra hand.

I stared at him dumbfounded for a good ten seconds and he paused, staring back at me in a stiff manor. After the six second mark, he broke.

"What?" He demanded a tad confused.

"She hasn't talked to you?... Seriously? I spoke with her maybe four days ago."

"Josephine!" my mother's voice interrupted my thoughts. I held a finger up to pause my conversation with Peter before rolling over my shoulder to take the two or so steps to the living room.

"Yes?" I asked before seeing that our guests had moved from the spots I had left them at. "Oh! It was so wonderful meeting the both of you, it really was" I said smiling "I do look forward to seeing you quite soon" I added making sure to look at my mother with the top of my vision.

"And to you my dear" Charles said returning the smile "and be sure to give Peter my best" he added before exiting our home.

I was surprised slightly by his words as I made my way back to the kitchen. And I had finally had the chance to notice what Peter had been making for himself... macaroni and cheese at ten in the morning... Brilliant.

"Well, as of right now I don't think you have anything to worry about" I said swiping his spoon before he could eat what was on it and gave him a cheesy smile. (Pun definitely intended)

"And I'm the hopeless one." Peter remarked as I walked over to the window.

"Huh" I thought aloud.

"Who were they?" He asked appearing next to me. It had stopped making me jump a long time ago.

"Friends of yours apparently" I said turning to give him the stink-eye. "One of them knew your name."

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Hello lovely people! Just wanted to say a quick hello! Now for a question of the day: if you could rename the earth, what would you call it and why? (No reason for this question... its a. just cause kinda thing) thanks for being awesome!

what time is it? Question time!: who is your favorite comic couple?

Mine? Blackbolt and medusa (inhumans) or kitty pryde (shadowcat) and peter Rasputin (colossus)


	5. Chapter 5: The Pains of Packing

Last updated: Feb. 4th 2016

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Four weeks had past since I had been invited to that school and I currently found myself upside down on my bed as I hung off the side with my head on the floor. This was the result of my attempt at packing.

"So you _are_ going then?" Peter asked, rolling back and forth on my desk chair.

I threw my empty suitcase at him and he caught it. "Duh" I gave him a look. "It's still the same answer as ten minutes ago. I still don't get why you aren't."

"Family stuff" the way he said it made me narrow my eyes.

"Family stuff, huh?" I said "like my kind of family stuff?" My kind of _"family stuff"_ was simply prejudice parents, Peter on the other hand, was completely void of one of his parents all together.

"No, nothing that bad." He said with a slight upturn of the corner of his mouth.

"I'll use my 'voodoo' again" I threatened, waving my fingers in the air and he just shook his head.

I slid the rest of the way off my bed, painfully landing on my head then slinking to my butt and retrieved my suit case. Trudging over to my wardrobe I started pulling all the clothes that were jammed in the old wooden drawers and started throwing them to my bed.

Being the nice guy that he is, Peter folded them for me, going through at least five shirts a second. It kinda made me worried that he'd put a hole in some of them. He may not admit it, but he's a huge neat freak. If you've seen his basement, then you would know this. Every swiped item was in an exact place like his own little store. Every once in awhile I like to move one or two things just to watch him freak out.

We packed my stuff in a relaxed silence, occasionally making stupid comments about the contents of my wardrobe. An hour in, Peter had found my Halloween costume from when I was eight and since it included a cape he had found it necessary to tie it around his head in a nun-like fashion.

"I haven't seen that in ages." I said laughing at the sight of him.

"Well I'm afraid you'll never see it again; I'm declaring that I steal this."

"Well it's absolutely perfect for your skin tone" I said with a smirk gracing my lips.

He threw a bunched up pair of my floral shorts at me, making a direct hit to my face.

"You know, after doing this you may have to hand in your man card" I teased folding the projectile that was shot at me.

As I folded the last shirt and somehow managed to cram it into the suitcase I noticed Peter had stopped. Looking up as I zipped it, I saw him just watching me.

"What?" I asked feeling a bit self-conscious which was weird I never felt awkward around him. He'd stared at me before but it was usually an attempt to start a no-blinking contest or just to try and make me laugh. This was different somehow.

He looked about to say something when the sound of feet racing up the stairs cut him off. My door banged open and a little demon flew at me

"You can't go Josie!" Lorna, my little sister, cried. She shimmed up my bed and hugged my middle glaring at Peter like he was the reason behind all the evil in the world.

I peeled her from me trying to look serious, but in reality I couldn't stay mad at her very long. "I have to" I said smoothing down a lock of her hair that was sticking almost completely straight up.

She began to sniffle, drastically sticking out her bottom lip.

I raised my eyebrows a tilted my head at her "that doesn't work anymore babe" and she dropped the face instantaneously.

Lorna gave a huge sigh, flopping on her back.

I hate to say it, but I honestly believed I had one of the best younger siblings anybody could get. Although she was young, Lorna always acted above her age, except when she wanted something of course, she was quiet most of the time, she never bugged me or made me feel annoyed. It might be just because I'm a tough person to make angry, but we've always gotten on really well.

"But why can't I come?" she asked.

"Because you're not a mutant." I said poking her stomach, causing her to squeal. "At least not yet" I added in a smaller voice giving Peter a side glance. After all, it is genetic.

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Hey guys! I'm really sorry for the lack of updates! school is out now so I can start pumping them out like nobody's business! I also realized that if you know comics you know who her sister is (ya ya it's AU but oh well) love you guys and thanks for the support!

Like comment and follow! :)

Question time! DC or Marvel (this question determines our friendship) lol just kidding

My answer? Marvel. I feel like their characters are more believable and down to earth (I know, I know its freaking superheros) I feel like DC tends to take themselves too seriously.


	6. Chapter 6: A Lovely Goodbye

Updated Feb. 6th 2016

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I didn't even say a goodbye to my mother as I shut the car door behind me. The long ride to the school was particularly awkward because neither of us were willing to start a conversation. I would have driven myself but my parents didn't think it would be wise to leave my car there for months at a time.

Looking around I saw other kids unpacking their cars with suitcases and other related items. There had to be at least thirty of them just out here. Some of them where younger than me, others where approximately the same age as myself.

As I Hoisted my bag over my shoulder I felt like an outsider here. It was a new place one where I had no idea what I was really doing. I shook it off, it was only the first day after all. I was determined to keep a positive attitude about this whole thing for as long as possible.

There were maps posted on the walls that led into a foyer inside the building and large crowds had crammed around them to try and figure out just where the heck they were going. I decided against trying my luck at getting to the map, so I just took a detour to a different (and smaller) group of kids.

There were registry desks that had various staff at them working to sign kids in and get them to where they needed to go. I lugged my stuff over to a neat-ish pile of suitcases and other people's things just so I didn't have to carry it with me the whole time.

Standing in line was quiet and strange because the whole time that I spent standing there I got to read about some of my peers around me. I was mostly interested in their mutations. It was after all the most people I had ever been around that were all collectively mutants. There were all sorts, some of them were purely mental mutations and others involved some kind of physical aspect. Every once in awhile I would accidentally intrude on their memories due to the relation between what triggered their mutations and the mutation itself. I hated doing it because I never meant to; looking into someone's past meant I felt everything that they felt which was sometimes painful or overwhelming, plus I always felt that it was _too_ invasive.

Time passed, and over what seemed like a lifetime, I found myself giving my name to a rather uncomfortable looking woman with flitting eyes and worry lines on her brow. From what I could read on her she was human and she was not particularly here by choice. Serving as the in-school nurse, her name was Annie Ghazikhanian (I just read it, there was no way I was attempt saying it) and she had a son going here. She just needed the work and the school needed a nurse.

"Josephine Dane" I said and I watched her look up my name.

"Room 106" she said, her shaky finger tracing my name over to the tiny number next to it. I gave her a quick smile and got out of the line as fast as I could. I snagged my bag and walked up the stairs and past the cluster of people. The foyer comprised of nice red carpet and wooden floors as well as a rather large staircase that split off into to ways. I stood there unsure where to go until one kid who was jogging downs the stairs after a friend noticed my confusion.

"Dorms are to the left" he said as he passed me. I turned to say a thank you but he was already out the door.

I meandered up the stairs only enter a maze of corridors, looking at every door for good ol' number 1-0-6. Once I found it I threw the crippling suitcase off my shoulder and watched it hit the ground with a satisfying thump. I gazed around the cozy looking room with a plush red furnished bed, mahogany walls and a quaint wardrobe. I noticed a stack of papers on the nightstand that included a map, class schedule, rules and procedures.

As I sat there on my bed reading the classes that I would be attending, I realized that I hadn't shut my door. In result, a head poked around the corner.

"Hello?" the head asked and a body appeared along with it. A girl my age with red hair and a young, pretty complexion smiled at me. She intrigued me immediately. When she saw someone was actually in the room she stepped in the rest of the way.

"Hi!" She said and I examined her with curiosity. Her name was Jean Grey and I frowned slightly when as my mind started to wander towards some of her history I quickly shut my eyes when the horrific event that had triggered her mutation starter to creep up on me I wiped my mind in order to keep the memory from entering my mind all together. She also had her curiously long list of mutations, nevertheless, she seemed like a mellow person and I appreciated that.

I smiled in hello and set the multitude of papers down on my bed. "Hi, Jean is it?" I wasn't used to meeting new people because I always had Peter.

Jean tilted her head in surprise, but made no mention of the fact that I knew her name and I kicked myself for letting that slip "Yeah, I'm next door, just wanted to say hi." She said leaning on my door frame. Sticking her thumb in some direction. "You're a telepath?" She asked.

Shaking my head, I added a shrug for good measure. "I'm not sure really. I just know things about people."

She nodded, not wanting to pry. I was really starting to like this girl which was odd because my gender has always been painfully annoying to me.

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_Hello again friends! I want to say a big old thank you to everyone! Just for even clicking on my story! I try to stick with the facts from the comics as much as I can, like the reasons Jean is here and not Kitty or other things too. please comment or follow!_

_Hugs and butterfly kisses!_

_-Em_

_Question of the day: like the popular shipping of the Black Widow and Hawkeye is there a shipped pair that bugs you the most?_

_Mine is "clintasha" like I mentioned above... think Nat is WAY to independent and quite honestly, even their romance in the comics was usually due to emotional manipulation... Anyhoo I'm just ranting... Lol love y'all!_


	7. Chapter 7: Adjustments

_Last Updated: Feb 6th 2016_

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It was a little weird at the beginning when we were all getting into the swing of things, but everyone and everything eventually fell into it's own little groove.

Classes for the younger kids started first and everyone sixteen and up were put in training for the first week. Seeing that I fit in that range (being 18 and all) I went with those in my age group. This meant we needed to understand our mutation first, then we could learn to control it. Besides, there were only around ten of us, so practicing individually wouldn't be that hard. After the mutation training came the physical part: weight training, self defense, cardio... you know, the "_fun_" stuff. For those who weren't aided by a mutation that made them stronger or a better fighter, it was probably the worst thing that we ever went through. Some of us even dropped out. When we were told at the beginning what we'd be doing with our new skills, there were about four or five people that blatantly refused to continue. Those who remained were meant to become a group of individuals who would pretty much serve as a protection agency without the total legality of something like SHIELD or the CIA.

I learned rather quickly that most of the other people who had chosen to stay had mutations that were, in no doubt, way cooler and more useful than mine... I mean some guy had wings. Therefore I just preferred to watch most of the time. I would be off to the side in my own little corner-of-lame. I mean, how much can you do with being able to learn about someone? If I got too bored I'd just go do self defense training, I was pretty good at it too which gave me a little hope for myself.

Today I sat on the side lines watching like I normally did as some kid was doing laser practice with his eyes. I was picking at my shoes at the moment, that stupid rubber sole thing that likes to come apart first was doing just that. I was half tempted to just end it all and yank it.

"Someone once said that ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do and attitude determines how well you do it." I looked up to see a smiling Professor Xavier. "Every person is here because they can do something extraordinary, there is no one above anyone or below." This made me frown slightly and think of Jean. He noted this and changed the subject. "What have you learned so far this week?" He asked.

"Not much to be honest" I said with a little guilt, picking at my darn shoe again.

"Well you can do things you don't even realize" I looked up from my shoes and tilted my head for him to continue.

"Not only can you learn everything there is to know about a person, you can also watch their memories and completely immerse yourself in the past." This I already knew, but like I mentioned before, I can't really control it when I do it. "And you are a surprisingly strong empath" well... that I didn't know "I want you to pick a person in this room and tell me about them." He said.

I gazed out into the largish group of other students, picking a guy I didn't really know.

"His names's Scott" I said nodding toward the guy with sunglasses who was laughing with two or three of his new friends. "He's got a brother named Alex and he has an optic mutation." I finished. I could have said more, but this kid had gone through some hard stuff, seeing your parents die in a plane crash isn't exactly good for public knowledge.

"Very good, now can you tell me what Jean's feeling over there?" He asked and I noticed that Jean was alone like me on the side lines.

People's emotions have always been prevalent to me, even before my mutation manifested. It got me in quite the argument with Peter every now and then.

"She's complicated" I admitted. "But she feels a bit lonely." I frowned at this. She was a sweet girl and I didn't like to see her upset or feeling neglected.

"You see, Josephine, we all have little things inside us that aren't as minuscule as we think they are. But very good work today, even if it was at the very end" he laughed a bit and I smiled back. "We'll continue tomorrow" and with that I was alone again.

After he had gone I got up and skipped my way over to Jean.

"Hey!" I said brightly.  
She looked startled but she relaxed when she saw it was just me, "hello Josephine"

"Whatcha up to?" I asked siting down next to her.

"Not very much" she admitted. "Just moving little things"

"Can I see?" I asked hopefully.

I saw her focus real hard on the drawstrings of my sweatshirt for a few seconds. They suddenly began to move around, seemingly tie themselves into a neat little bow. I laughed at the result.

"That's awesome!" I said grinning at her.

"It's kinda cool" she said shrugging "but not that impressive."

"Are you kidding? It's way better than what I got!"

"What can you do, by the way? I've been meaning to ask but I never got around to it."

"I'm telepathic in a way" I said "but I can't read minds or anything cool like that, I can just learn about anyone's past and all the little details about them. it's kinda creepy actually" she laughed.

"You said that wasn't as cool as mine? That's way better!" she exclaimed making me click my tongue in disapproval and shake my head.

"It is though!" She said laughing at me.

"No it's not!" I cried "if I'm being ambushed, how is being a real life fortune teller gonna be helpful?"

"Whatever, it's still cool and you know it" Jean said sticking her tongue out at me.

After dinner I was in my room, lying face down on my bed. I know it was pathetic, but in my defense I was so freaking bored I was about to die.

"Josie" I heard, though it was muffled due to my head being covered by my comforter.

"Huh?" my head shot up, and I blinked at the harsh light from my bedside lamp.

My vision was fuzzy from the lack of use and I had to blink even more to regain sight. Once my eyesight had focused, I noted the person next to my bed, that stupid freaking smile plastered all over his face.

"Jesus, Peter, what the hell are you doing here?" I asked, rubbing my face as I proceeded to flop back down.

"Just wanted to say hi" I could hear the mask of innocence he used. Nice try buddy.

"Okay... what else?" I said into the covers.

"Have you been watching the news for the past two weeks?" I shook my head, which proved a bigger effort than what I would have liked, seeing as though my face was smashed into a bed.

"No, I've been here, like a good little hermit" I finally decided to not be face down and took the long and lazy route (which to me is the only route worth taking) to getting face up. This meant wiggling and twisting about, determined not to use my arms. "Why, what's going on?"

He poofed for a second and was back, bringing a gust of wind with him. He held a newspaper in his hand and he held it out to me.

The title of the front page read: It's 1979, Do You Know What Your Children Are? Under neath this was an image of four kids of different ethnicities and genders. The kid at the end had harsh red calligraphy written overtop of his image reading "mutie" and underneath it all were the words Paid For By The Citizens In Support Of The Mutant Registration Act.

"You're freaking kidding me" I muttered, taking the paper. I stared at it for awhile then threw it down, "What a freaking joke" I paused for a second. "Wait, did you break in here just to show me this?" I asked snatching up the paper and holding it up.

He shrugged and I narrowed my eyes.

"Just worried I guess" He said shrugging again.

"Worried?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"Yeah."

"About me?"

"Duh" he said ruffling my hair and sitting down next to me.

Down the hall I heard a knock on a door.

"Shit, dorm check" I swore standing up quickly, pulling Peter up with me. "You need to go" I said pushing him onward towards the door.

"Well that was an enthusiastic reunion." He said, deciding to be a rock and not move.

"Seriously you need to go, next time come earlier, or during actual visitation hours... that would be better, so I'm not all alone during those." I said leaning my whole body into the effort of moving him.

Peter just laughed at me and in an instant was gone and I was falling. I squealed and braced for impact with the floor, but I felt somebody catch me and set me upright and placed a kiss on my forehead.

"Stay safe kid" and then he was gone, leaving me confused and mostly dazed.

Running a hand through my blonde curls I sat on the edge of my bed. A knock was at my door but before I could even respond, it opened and Ms. Downing poked her head in, checking if I was hiding any fugitives or mass-murderers or boys... she smiled seeing I was all clear and where I was supposed to be and disappeared, leaving me to my thoughts... a scary place...

* * *

_Hey guys! I, again want to say a big thanks to you all for your enthusiasm in me! I honestly had no idea where this story was gonna go but now I do! Like always, I use real things from the comics but I tweak them. Like the newspaper was a real thing. anyway Comment, like and love!_

_p.s who is your favorite X-men? (that's not wolverine! I love him and all he's just really over used, ya know?) leave your response in the comment section! Mine is either colossus or Magik... Don't judge :)_


	8. Chapter 8: I Hate Working

_Updated Feb 7th 2016_

* * *

When the three weeks of separation between the age groups was over, I had to actually go to classes. it

Around six-thirty in the morning my alarm clock dragged me kicking and screaming from my peaceful dreams. Smacking the little shrieking monster next to me on my nightstand, I literally rolled out of bed.

When I saw myself in the full length mirror I pulled a face at my ridiculously poof-ball like hair. There was no way I was going to even try to tame it with a brush.

Grumbling to myself, I dragged my feet to the shower which was no where near as warm as I would have liked it to be, but I guess that's what you get when you wake up half an hour later than the majority of the school. I wasn't late, but I didn't want to chance it. Breakfast was at seven until seven forty-five and classes started at eight and since I'm the kind of person who uses every minuet of my morning I have to be productive for the whole time.

At breakfast I chose a vacant table and ate my fruit and eggs in quiet contented peace until I was joined by Jean, who was accompanied by Scott who brought along Warren who was talking with Tessa. Having so many people come to join made me have to adjust. I wasn't looking for friends, they just sort of appeared.

"Morning Josephine" Jean said as she sat down next to me. I smiled in response, waving slightly with the hand that my fork was in.

"What classes do you have?" Tessa asked me from the opposite side of the table, two seats down.

Tessa was a nice girl, she had black hair, blue eyes and preferred the name Sage. Her mutation was fascinating; she was able to _'see'_ a person's genetic code, reading complex DNA sequences for latent or manifested mutations, which kinda allowed her to sense mutants and in many cases, understand how their powers work more thoroughly than they do themselves. After analyzing the DNA of another mutant, Sage was sometimes able to selectively evolve their existing genetic traits as well as catalyze the untapped genetic potential of latent mutants, however the procedure is irreversible and can result in unpredictable side effects. She's also got incredible advanced intellectual capabilities, her mind works in the same way a computer with unlimited storage capacity does, only much faster and without losing the particular complex processing capabilities of the human brain. She was able to perform several mental functions at once without losing focus on any one of them. Sage also can track the probability of an event by piecing together stored data, and she can perform multiple tasks at once by allocating a portion of her brain to each task. She was hands-down, one of the most fascinating people I've ever had the chance of reading.

I pulled out my schedule from my bag and handed it to her. As she examined it I turned to Jean.

"Have you seen the papers?" I asked. Her eyebrows furrowed and she shook her head. Reaching into my bag I pulled out the paper Peter had brought me the previous night.

Warren looked at it over her shoulder. "Oh yeah, kids have already started coming up missing" He said with mouthful of cereal pointing at it. "Read the article underneath" He added as he swallowed.

As Jean's eyes scanned the the small printed text as I went to go put my dishes away. I took my time to smile at some of the younger kids. I mostly tried to come off as un-intimidating mostly because I knew that when I was little, the older kids always seemed to daunting to me. Upon my return Sage handed me my schedule back.

"I put a little dot next to the classes we have together" She said and I smiled at her and nodded examining the already wrinkled and slightly ruined paper.

"Hey Josie, I know I might be a terrible person for forgetting, but what's your last name again?"

"Dane, what makes you ask?"

"And I do remember you said your sisters name is Lorna, righ?" Jean asked, not looking up from the paper.

"Yeah?..." I picked up my bag instead of sitting back down, about to head off to my first class.

"She's on the list" She said in a quiet voice, holding up the paper a little. I took it from her and the table fell silent as they watched me. It wasn't a rude gesture, just sympathetic.

Just like she had said, there it was, _"Lorna Dane"_ on the list of maybe thirty or forty kids. It took all I had not to completely shred the paper that I held in my hands.

"Excuse me" I said to the group as I turned on my heels and walked out of the dinning room. I moved at a half jog half walk through the hallways and up stairs with only one destination in mind. I rapped my knuckles on the door, bouncing up and down on the balls of my feet out of nerves and anxiety. Once I got the go-ahead, I opened the door and was the first to speak.

"Can I get the day off?" I asked quickly.

Professor Xavier was looking at me with slight surprise.

"Actions should not be carried out by anger." He told me, putting the pen he currently held in his hand in the container to his left.

He was right, I wasn't scared or worried- I was pissed. Pissed at my parents for letting something like this happen.

"Just one day, please." I begged. "You, of all people know this isn't a one-time thing. I just need to talk to my family."

He sighed, "I'm going to trust you Josephine" He said and I smiled.

"Thank you so much" I said as I half ran out of his office. Once I shut his door I took off at a full sprint to my dorm.

I dropped my bag on my bed, grabbed my jacket and keys and ran down the hall again nearly colliding with Sage.

"Whoa, were are you going Josie?" She asked

"To go have a lovely chat with family" I said and she smiled at me approvingly.

* * *

_A/N: Haha! Another successful update! I hope you all liked it! If you did please hit me up on that favorite or tell me through a comment! I really do love getting feedback from you guys, even the little stuff goes a long way!_

_Question time again! whose the one superhero (who doesn't already have a movie or hasn't been in one) that you'd want to see make it to the silver screen the most?_

_My answer? Cloak and Dagger. their dark and gritty and totally worthy of a batman- esq movie._

_Hugs and butterfly-kisses_

_-em_


	9. Chapter 9: Moms

_Updated: Feb. 7th 2016_

* * *

I was quietly fuming as I made my way home. Since I have my license but I don't have a car, I had to take an array of uncomfortable busses and pay this one cab like fifty dollars just to take me the rest of the way there... let's just say that those situations didn't really help with my mood.

No one was home when I got there so I decided to stake it out on the couch in the living room. I was there for maybe a good ten minuets, enjoying the silence until I heard the door open and the sound of keys being placed in a glass bowl that always held the keys. The figure of my mom stood in the door frame to the living room as she took off her coat. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw me lounging on the sofa.

"Hey" I said with a slight smile, amused by her reaction.

"Y-you're back?" she asked in a shaky voice, wringing her hands out of nerves as she stood there with a tight posture.

"What the hell happened?" I demanded in a calm tone, pulling my feet off the coffee table and leaning forward, placing my elbows on my knees.

"What do you mean?" she asked, her eyes flitting around. I rolled my eyes. She's always been a terrible liar. Although, I guess certain mutations do have their social advantages.

"Please don't act stupid because I know you're not." I said, pinching the bridge of my nose as I shook my head.

"They took her" she said in a whisper not meeting my eyes. My mother has always been skittish around me, but it's never been this bad. Maybe it was a traumatic event after all.

"Where, Susanna?" I asked, using her first name.

"I don't know" she said in a frantic voice. "Arnold found out-" I spoke up, cutting her off. My gaze held intent. So many possibilities raced though my mind.

"Found out what?" she looked up at me now, obviously gaining more confidence.

"Lorna is only your half sister" She it said like it was building up inside her for a long time. Like a pot of boiling water finally bubbling over. A silence fell over the room creating a thick atmosphere and my chest tightened.

She looked to almost be in tears. "I'm so sorry Josie" she whispered again and in that instance, she actually felt like the person who was my mother before I reached the age of 12.

"Whose her father?" I asked calmly, taking the edge out of my voice entirely. She just shook her head as the tears that had welled up in her eyes cascaded down her cheeks.

"Either you tell me or I look for myself" I threatened.

When she said nothing I sighed. I took me a split second to search her the _"files" _of her life because I knew what I was looking for. It was an affair and she didn't even know his name, only his last which was Eisenhardt. It all happened the year I was first diagnosed as a mutant. Those informational seminars she claimed to be going to turned out to be a little more one-on-one than I had previously thought.

Infuriated, I stood snatching up my jacket and I started to walk out pausing right in front of her.

"If she's hurt- even a little scratch" I said in a low voice. "You best hope you can run" I finished storming out.

My family had three cars. One is my mothers the other is obviously my fathers and the third one was intended for me, but they had shipped me off so I guess they figured I wouldn't need it. Well now I needed it.

I know they say never to drive angry, but I could make an exception for now. I wasn't as furious as I was earlier, I had let time cool that one off. I just had to find my sister... Family is kind of an obligation, ya know?

I knocked on the green door in front of me and was greeted by a certain redhead. I could tell Wanda was upset and I had the urge to read her, but I thought better of it and decided not to.

"Josephine?" Wanda said. I frowned slightly, usually I got a smile accompanied by a hug from my enthusiastic friend.

"Is Pete home? I asked, shrugging off her weird greeting and dismal mood.

She bit her lip, shifting her weight. "Maybe right now is not a good time." She said and I tilted my head. I've never been denied entrance to the Maximoff household before.

"Is everything okay?" I asked with concern, trying to peer over her shoulder.

To answer my question somewhere in the house I heard a crash and two-sided shouting accompanying it. Wanda cringed and I took the opportunity to slip past her, ducking under her arm and making my way toward the source of the noise.

The majority of my childhood had been spent in this house with these people so their problems felt like mine. Walking into the kitchen I stopped when I saw Magda (their mother) leaning her back on the counter with her arms crossed and Peter was pacing back and forth at a human speed.

"Because you just can't" she said and her gaze flicked over to me, stopping her in mid-sentence.

Peter noticed this and turned his head to see what she was looking at. When he saw me he started to walk out toward me, snagging my elbow. I followed close behind.

"Is everything okay?" I asked once we were outside.

"Yeah, everything's fine- what are you doing out?" He asked.

"Family stuff" I replied shrugging. He smiled at my answer. I always gave when it came to my personal issues.

"Lorna?" He assumed and I nodded.

"What do you know about all that?" I asked and I saw something flicker in his expression. "Peter..." I warned.

He sighed. "I need to go see Charles" he said finally.

* * *

_Hey guys! Sorry for the short chapter! anywho I want to say a big thanks to everyone who has commented, it really helps me know if you guys like it and what I could do better. Also I'm going on vacation next Saturday (I'll definitely have another chapter of two out by then) In case I forget to tell you guys Now you know! I'm going to Hawaii :D_

_Also a disclaimer: I own none of the characters except for Josephine. yes that means even the tiniest characters belong to marvel! :)_

_Question of the day: if you had any mutation, what would it be and why?_

_I would would want telepathy like Charles! the stuff he can do man... Just imagine!_


	10. Chapter 10: The Rubber Ball

_Last updated: Feb. 7th 2016_

* * *

I sat outside the professors office, laying in a rather ungraceful manor on a chair in the corridor.

Don't ask me how I did it, but I had managed to find a green rubber ball on our trip up here and I was tossing it at the intersection of the wall and ceiling and catching it. I had always seemed to have a knack for finding the stupidest things in the most mundane places and boy was I glad I had that ability now.

A couple of kids had walked by, giving me a curious look which read more like a _'what the hell?' _look.

"Yeah, yeah, just keep goin'" I said hurling the ball above their heads and catching it when it came back. They gave me a weird look, but they kept going. There were no questions that need to be asked when a person is seen tossing a bouncy ball all alone whilst sprawled on a couch- chair- thing in a hallway.

Every once in awhile I would hear small snippets or phrases from the other room, but for the most part I was bored out of my mind... a common theme that I've found myself in recently.

Just as I tossed my ball again the door opened and Peter shot his hand up and caught it. I narrowed my eyes at the silvery haired fun-ruiner and he just smiled.

"Your turn" He said, and I looked surprised.

"My turn?" I asked as I pointed at myself and he rolled his eyes at me as my answer. What on earth could I say or know that could help with this situation?

Without anymore questions I stood up and waltzed into Charles's office. "You wanted me?" I asked standing there rocking back and forth on my feet.

"Your sister is in Arizona." He told me rather abruptly.

I blinked a few times. "I'm sorry, but why is my sister on the other side of the country?" I asked, slightly stunned by this. "Is she safe?" I added as my heart rate started to pick up a bit.

"Lorna, among with countless other mutant children whose mutations have not manifested yet have been _'relocated'_ there." He explained watching me carefully to monitor my reaction.

The thing about family is that you have a moral obligation to them. I've never been that close to my sister to the point of dropping everything and sprinting to Arizona from here, but I can say that I **do** care about her. She's only 11 and she doesn't know all of the evils of the world yet. I didn't particularly want her to know them anytime soon either.

The reason I did drop everything when I first found out she was gone is because of the fact that my parents let it happen. You see, I don't like it when people don't follow rules... Set in stone or just implied, rules are rules and the number one rule of parenting is to protect your kids. You can say she was kidnapped, but I know my parents. They most likely let it happen on purpose.

"The reason I called you in is because I need you to decide what to do." Charles went on. "I have faith in you. You are not the only one effected by this, not in the slightest, but you've done well in training and your classes and I'm willing to let you take this one." He said and I lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Really?" I asked, inwardly doing a happy dance. I felt a bit anxious to go already.

"Really" he confirmed smiling at my enthusiasm. As I turned to go he stopped me. "Trust, Dane" he said "don't forget about trust." I nodded still smiling and walked out to find a rather entranced looking Peter.

"Where'd you find this anyway?" he asked holding up my ball.

"Somewhere on the staircase" I said before I snatched it from his grip and tossed it as hard as I could down the hallway which prompted Peter to go all speedy on me and catch it in the blink of an eye and appear next to me with an accompanying gust of wind.

"Road trip?" he asked, balancing up on his toes in an anticipating manor with a big old stupid grin plastered on his face that was uncannily similar to the one I had just moments ago.

I started to walk past him, reaching up and ruffling his silvery locks as I did. "You bet" I said folding my hands into the pockets on my sweater.

Although I was no SHIELD agent, I still felt like I had permission to feel thoroughly badass. Unfortunately it didn't mean that I put on a black suit and tie and tossed on a pair of sunglasses... it only meant the sunglasses part which Peter ended up stealing right off of my face whilst I was driving somewhere on route 70 heading west almost getting us out of Ohio.

"So what was the deal with your mom back there?" I asked now that I had him in an enclosed space and he couldn't bail on me.

The ghost of a smile that always seemed to adorn his face vanished instantaneously and I knew I had hit a nerve.

"Legal issues." He said after being sure to squeeze in a silence. It was more like a guilt filled silence and it lasted a solid minute.

I was used to that answer by now. Police and related officials constantly showed up at Peter's door and yet, they'd never actually done anything beyond give a reprimand to a crime they weren't even sure he had committed. This however, wasn't the same ordeal.

"How so?" I asked taking the bait to the 'use a small worded answer so you need to ask questions' ploy that he was using.

He looked apprehensive about telling me, but he told me anyway. "My mom got called in to a police interrogation." It really hurt to see him so sullen, it wasn't normal for him.

"What for?!" I asked, astounded, nearly slamming the breaks.

"Jesus Josephine, aren't you a certified driver?" He asked as a reaction to me nearly loosing my cool on the road.

"I _do_ have my freaking license, now don't change the subject. You said your mom was interrogated?... Why!" I asked shooting him a quick look.

"The government found out her previous relation to this guy." He said and I narrowed my eyes again because now I needed to ask just _who_ this guy was.

"Do elaborate... who is this guy." I said adding a touch of annoyance to my voice.

"My dad" he said. watching me carefully for my reaction.

Now it was time for me to pull off the road. When I did I looked at him with what was probably a really stupid gape on my face.

"Your dad? holy shi- what the hell kind of a person is he to get your mom interrogated?" I demanded, turning in my seat so I could look at him properly.

"Not the best obviously. But that's all besides the point, apparently we've met." His inflection dripping with dry humor. "And we'll definitely be meeting again shortly."

* * *

_A/N: hey guys! I'm soooooooooo sorry for the wait! But my excuse is because I wrote this chapter on a beach in Hawaii! I love you guys so much! thanks for the reviews and follows! you all are so cool!_

_Oh and I know this chapter kinda sucks but it is what it is :)_

_Question time! Would you join the brotherhood and fight for mutant rights or join the x-men and fight for what **they **think is right?_

_I would go x-men but I appreciate the brotherhoods intent at times._


	11. Chapter 11: Refuge

_Last Updated: Feb. 7th 2016_

* * *

Before we had left,I had managed to get ahold of a few locations and names that I could trust.

More and more mutants were being discriminated against, refused into hotels, restaurants, movie theaters and just about any place they could segregate us.

The battle we thought we had begun to win, had only just resurfaced itself after a few years of peace. It's like America had fallen back to the fifties.

We had been refused by more than three places. Apparently a lot of business places had gotten ahold of mutant honing devices and had began hiring people just for the purpose of being a mutant bouncer. It pissed me off, but what could I do?

The place where I had parked outside of was probably the sketchiest place I had ever seen. It looked like an abandoned gas station except there were no pumps and it had way more square feet than your usual Circle-K.

I sat there for a few seconds with my mouth slightly gaping, deciding if I wanted to die today or not. I knew this was the only place that was safe for a few thousand miles and I knew they would accept us if I mentioned Charles's name. So I guess I had to go in there.

"Well I'm going in" Peter said abruptly as he opened his door and stepped out.

I could see people inside the raggedy run down place, like shadows dancing through beams of light. These lights shown through the windows and flooded the grass like waterfalls. This place wasn't abandoned like a first glance might suggest.

Swearing under my breath I got out, pulling the keys out of the ignition and stowing them in my pocket.

"Are you sure about this place?" I asked, but before Peter could say anything a girl walked up to us.

She seemed to be around twenty, she was petite and she had shoulder length layered light mocha brown hair and a harshness to what seemed to e her neutral expression. She walked at a brisk pace, stopping to examine us.

"You guys lost?" She asked, leaning on her hip as she did so. It almost sounded like she had a slight Puerto Rican accent.

"Kinda?" I said not really sure how to answer. She paused to look at us with scrutinizing eyes.

"Who sent you?" She asked.

"Charles Xavier" I replied, trying to sound confident, but it came out sounding more like a question.

"Come on" she said finally, nodding with her chin as a sign to follow.

As we walked toward the place I had to force myself not to act nervous. I couldn't help but fiddle with the buttons on my cardigan, wrapping it tighter around me as we walked through a gust of wind.

I could tell Peter couldn't give a care in the world regarding the current situation and I had to admit, I was kind of jealous.

"What are your names?" The girl, Tori, asked when we were nearly upon rickety porch that led to the entrance. Her tone was cold but inquisitive and it had the right to be so, there was more than a few reasons that she looked so cold all of the time.

"Josephine" I muttered absentmindedly and Peter gave his.

"Tori" she said, giving us her own name as she opened the door and stood back to let us in first, the door was a lot bigger than her and even me, with peeling green paint and water damage. I pushed Peter in first and he gave me a look which basically called me a pansy.

Inside there were dozens of people. I took in a sharp breath. My brain felt like it was on overload because of the sheer number of people in such a close vicinity. Thousands of words flashed in front of my eyes belonging to a multitude of different people. I had to squeeze my eyes shut and stop, holding on to Peter's arm for a moment, just to gain some kind of mental footing. It was almost like I could hear their thoughts scrambling inside my head along with their profiles.

"You okay?" I heard Peter asked after I opened my eyes.

"Yeah, just a lot of people" I said, still massaging my temples.

A huge man, who I could only compare to an Ent because of his massive trunk like arms and heavy built physique, walked up to us, smiling when he saw Tori. I could only pick out small snippets about him through the tons of data that was still whizzing by my vision. He and Tori hadn't met that long ago but he had protected her from some kind of attack and ever since then they were inseparable. Though their height difference might be humorous to some, I found it quite endearing.

"Who'd you find there?" He asked, his voice booming even at a normal talking level.

"A telepath and some really fast guy" I laughed at her choice of words. As her mutation, this girl could see the future which meant that she could tell someone's mutation by seeing them use it later. She also had enhanced (but not super) strength, reflexes and an athletic stamina unparalleled by anyone in existence. I saw Peter frown at her words. My smile disappeared when I went over what she had said in my mind.

"Telepath?.. no, just an empath" I corrected but I quickly shut my mouth when I saw the look that she was shooting at me.

"Sorry" I said quickly.

"Both mutants?" David asked apprehensively, seeming to have ignored what I said. Tori nodded.

"Then welcome!" He boomed adding a slight laugh while stretching his arms out. I winced slightly at his volume. "Who are you running from?... Family, the cops?"

"More like _running to_" I corrected, starting to feel a little more at ease with the man's genuine nature and huge personality. He paused, waiting for me to elaborate. "My sister was taken." I added quickly.

He nodded in an understanding manor. "Yeah, the MRA are getting more and more serious. It died down for awhile, but you know what they say: all good things must end" He finished with another deep chuckle.

"What is this place?" Peter asked pivoting on his feet to get a good look around rather like a meerkat on high alert.

"Someplace safe" Tori said before David could. "Like he said, its getting bad out there and some people don't have a place to go."

I decided then that I liked liked her. "We got a few extra cots in the back if you're looking for a place to stay" She added and uncrossed her arms and walked off with David who wrapped his thickly built arm around her tiny waist.

"I'll be honest here, I think that's one of the strangest couples I've ever seen" Peter said, still standing there. I hit his arm with more force than I had actually intended to.

"No, I think they work well" I countered.

"Yeah but you're a girl, you guys tend to think all couples work well together" he said and I glared at him.

"Hey Peter, you want kids some day, don't you?"

"Well yeah, why?"

"Then I suggest you keep those comments to yourself or I will personally ensure that your genetics can't be passed on" I grumbled as we wove through people.

The building was bigger than I thought it was. Dozens of rooms that were all occupied with what I could tell were families with kids were found in the back along with single person cots in the main room; the one that we had entered first.

A lot of people looked miserable wrapped in blankets and glaring my way when I passed by, others were chatting or helping others. It was easy to see and predict the history of every person by their outward appearance and attitude alone, even without a mutation to tell you that. The whole place felt like a Red Cross disaster shelter. The only big difference was the vast illegality of it all.

I was still rather awkward and nervous around these people even twenty minutes in. Now sitting on the cot that I had been assigned in the corner with my knees up to my chest and my arms wrapped around them, I was staring at my feet beginning to realize the magnitude of the whole thing. With people around me in tears, hungry, tired and in hiding because they were scared of the world they grew up in now wants to shut them out entirely or eradicate them.

With the Trask incident that had almost been a catastrophe to the mutant population narrowly avoided, most of us thought we were safe. Now we had a new rising of hate and opposition.

I sat there for a long time, consumed in a jumble of misconnecting thoughts until I felt someone sit down next to me. Their weight making the cot sink and I nearly toppled over onto them.

"Hanging in there?" I heard Peter say and I sighed heavily in response. He chuckled a little bit.

"How are you fine!" I demanded looking up now. "I mean, how can you act like this-" I said gesturing all around with a wild hand. "-is nothing!"

"Geeze Josephine, you really don't use your mutation a lot, do you?"

"Just on you.. You made me promise" I said quietly after pausing awhile, looking back down at my feet. From the corner of my eye I could see his face fall in remembrance.

I looked up at him with a light smirk on my lips.

"Those kind of things are important to me."

His arm snaked around my waist this time making me slink down because of the divot his weight made on the cot. Nonetheless I sighed and relaxed next to him. I felt him press his lips to my temple.

"Don't think you're the only one with important things, kid."

* * *

_Question! SHIELD (strategic homeland intervention enforcement logistics decision) or SWORD? (sentient world observation response department) in other words; earth crime or space crime? _

_For me I like SHIELD, mostly cause of the black widow... she's cool._


	12. Chapter 12: Cover Blown

_Last Updated: Feb. 9th 2016_

* * *

I had only planned to stay the night, but it was soon apparent that the original game plan wasn't going to turn out the way had I first intended it to. I got stuck with helping people and soon the days seemed to turn into one.

We actually ended up staying almost a whole week. I came to really like those who were here. The first couple of days I either stuck with Peter or Tori, mostly acting as a shadow to them, and tying to stay out of the way.

On the night before we had officially been there four 3 days and after all of the kids and some families were asleep, everyone else had all settled out in the back where David had coxed a burn pit into existence. Night had fallen and the air had chilled just enough for the fire and a cup of coffee/tea/cocoa to be comforting. I sat with to Peter on my right and another person I had met that week, Christopher Muse; a healing mutant, on my left. Tori and David sat across from us.

It felt like one big support group. Everyone shared how they got here and some of the things that had happened to them. Tori had made sure that everybody got to talk and we all offered advice, condolences or laughs depending on the story. I got to learn that one elderly looking woman named Virginia had actually gotten to meet and become a personal advisor for the last four presidents. That was until they found out she was a mutant and she was fired immediately because they thought she had an "unfair advantage" in her field and that her talents were not "genuine". I got to learn a lot of people's names and histories as The night went on. Let it be known none of them were that squeaky clean.

On the sixth day we were there, I found myself outside in the back where some of the new comers had settled in tents because of the crowdedness of the inside building. I just wandered around, helping wherever they needed me.

I was kneeling in front of a little girl who was no older than seven with light honey hair that was pulled up out of her face. I was still hesitant to use my mutation on others out of respect for their privacy, so I usually just looked at their names abilities and touchy subjects that I would need to avoid with them. I learned her name was Rachel and that she was indeed seven. The peculiar thing about her was her eyes: one of them was an intriguing mint green color with brown flecks around the center and the other was a normal brown. I think they call it heterochromia.

She sat on a bench watching me examine her wrist, which was bruised an awful sickly green color with splotches of blues and browns. When I first touched it gingerly I took in a sharp breath of air and shut my eyes tightly. I knew this would happen. I got too lax; I let my walls down for a moment because Rachel was a kid and it took energy to keep them up.

I saw images and small snippets of what had happened to Rachel and her family. I swore under my breath so she wouldn't hear, my mutation was so confusing, even to me. Doing things or showing me things without warning, it was starting to drive me insane. I had to let go of her wrist momentarily because I had felt a sharp stabbing pain in own my wrist as I saw the past events. She had fallen on her wrist while getting away. Apparently their town had somehow gained detail on all of our kind that were housed in the area and quite literally ran them out of town.

"What's your name?" I asked trying to avert her mind from the matter. She had looked at me curiously when I had flinched and rubbed my own wrist, but I saw her shrug it off.

"Rachel" she said, her voice was small and child like reflecting her tiny stature.

"Rachel?... and how old are you Rachel?" I asked as I ignored myself, and wrapped her own wrist as gently as I could, but I could still see her wince a couple of times. It wasn't broken, only bruised which, to me seemed like a miracle.

"Seven" she said quietly, making me smile.

"Well then Rachel who is seven, I honestly think that you'll make it this time" I said putting my hands on my hips. "I mean we didn't quite have to amputate..." I told her in a very serious manor, holding up her wrist to examine it again. "but you never know, you were really lucky."

She smiled brightly, laughing at my expression. She pulled her arm from my grasp and hopped down from her perch and ran off to find her parents.

I was chuckling as I stood, still rubbing my own wrist which no longer hurt, I just had a ghost sensation. I looked over to my right to see my silver haired friend leaning on one of the cement pillars that precariously held the entire outer structure of the building up, with his arms crossed over his chest. He had definitely been there awhile.

"It's rude to stare you know" I said, chucking a towel I had with the first aid kit at him. He caught it before it hit its trajectory.

"Thought you didn't like kids" he said.

"Not true, I just hate the greedy and annoying ones" I said as I walked towards the back entrance. He fell into step walking next me.

"So the majority of them."

"Right" I laughed, setting down my little kit on a steel shelf with the rest of a lot of essential supplies.

we made our way through the industrial sized, yet worn out and monochromatic kitchen to get to the main section of the building.

I sat on my cot, giving my feet a break after a whole day of not sitting for more than five minuets around noon. It was about seven in the evening now and the orange of the setting sun put a fiery glow on everything in it's path.

Over the few days, I had managed to before slightly numb to the constant information that was bombarding me form the people that filed these walls. My mind just had a constant hum to it, which I hardly noticed at times.

I sat with my legs crossed on my cot, listening to people around me. I let the minuets tick by slowly, letting my mind wander. I had made the decision that we would have to leave in the morning. It would be hard to do but my sister was still missing and that was a priority to me for the time being. I knew I would stop back as we came home. The thought crossed my mind to stay here after I got Lorna, but despite the good things that were here it was, in all reality a refugee camp.

Peter had gone off to talk and spend time with David. The two had become some what close and it was nice to see him branching out.

"Josie!" A little voice said to my left. I looked toward the sound to see Rachel who had a massive smile on her face.

"Rachel! Long time no see!" I said with a wink.

She shimmied her way up to sit next to me. All signs of her shyness that she possessed earlier was gone.

"Are you a mutant?" she asked after she sat beside me in silence for a little while.

"Why yes I am" I replied, curious where she wanted to go with this conversation.

"My mom is too" she said.

"Oh really? What does your mom do?"

She shrugged "She can do stuff with her voice."

"That seems pretty cool" I said with a smile and she nodded.

The rest of our conversation contained only small phrases and quips. It went on for at least fifteen minutes. During then, Rachel had described her friends back home, the dog they had to leave behind in the care of a neighbor.

I wasn't annoyed by her presence but I can't say I wasn't grateful to be interrupted by Tori. She had a habit of placing her hand on either the shoulder or upper arm of a person before she spoke to them, so I didn't see her approach me, I only felt her.

When I finally looked over at her I could saw panic and fear in the eyes of someone whom it was rarely seen on. I immediately stood up and walked out of earshot of Rachel

"They're coming" she told me in a harsh whisper after I had walked a few paces back with her to give us some privacy from the prying eyes and ears of others.

"Who is they?" I asked, confused as I tried to calm her down.

"There's been these cars driving by for the last few weeks and at first it was nothing but then it became more and more obvious… it's some group we think they're looking for mutants" she said so quickly it was hard to catch everything she was saying.

"Josie, they have guns" with great weight to her voice. There was a silence after her words.

She didn't need to say anything more. I flicked my eyes up to the nearly thirty people that were scattered around just in my line of sight. If it was true, I knew a lot of people were going to be turmoil in the next few moments.

"Get everyone in?" I asked, though I already knew the answer. I followed Tori's direction in these situations due to her experience over my own. She nodded and I was about to go round up the masses before she stopped me.

"I got this, go board everything up" she said and I nodded.

I went over what I needed to do in my mind, making a checklist of sorts. We've been over situations like this before, but it's never needed to be acted upon. I had shut down the power which turned out the lights. If we were able to make this place look as abandoned as possible it was going to be done.

People began to buzz with unrest in my head like angered bees. I resisted the urge to cover my ears because I knew it would do no good. I shut and bolted windows and doors even though I knew it would do very little. It was like the duck and cover method. I remember having to do those stupid drills. We were probably going to die here and there was nothing I could do.

People were rushing everywhere trying to get away. I had been bumped into at least six times now, and my shoulder was getting sore from it. After moments had passed by all the small children were taken to the tiny basement that only held twenty people, the rest of us were kneeled down out of sight from the windows. It was as if everyone had tool a collective breath and had not released it.

"Josephine!" I heard Peter say in a loud whisper. I had been ducked near the back of the large main room, my back pressed up to the old wooden walls. I hadn't even noticed that he was next to me. His words snapped me out of my thoughts like someone pouring icy water on a grey and washed out dream. Apparently he had been saying my name, trying to get my attention for a while now.

I looked over at him with the helplessness and slight fear still in my eyes, "what?"

He opened his mouth to say something but his words were cut off by voices outside. They were impossible to make out but after a moments pause, an explosion erupted through the silence.

My head was slammed back into the wall, sending white hot stars into my vison. I felt Peters arm around my waist, shielding me slightly. The heat was stifling and there was a sharp high pitched ringing in my ears from the blast.

People around me were screaming and struggling to get to their feet. My vision was murky and dark, but I felt Peter's arms pulling me up and words being shouted at me. The world was still in a thick slow motion.

Dozens of men in black bulletproof vests and matching uniforms entered through the smoke and the torched gaping hole that was now in the north wall. They moved low and covertly. It seemed pointless, no one was fighting back yet they had guns trained on people who were now trying to aid those around them who were bloodied and burned on the ground, myself included.

The arms that were pulling me up, and the voice that was commanding me started telling me to move. That I had to move or else I was going to die. The voice, however, did not belong to Peter which only scattered my already dazed mind even more.

I eventually found my legs again and was able to stand. Gun shots were fired near my head making me duck down and slam against the wall so I wouldn't fall. My guide helped stabilize me I started to move in a quick pace with the person who had pulled me up guiding me lightly with a hand on my lower back. We had almost made it to the door when one gun shot in particular made the person next to me jerk with the impact of the bullet and collapse almost immediately. I had only just managed to catch them before they hit the floor and get them them into the hallway just outside the line of fire.

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_A/N: hey lovely people! I'm back from Hawaii and ready to start pumping out some more content!_  
_Also I apologize cause this chapter kind of sucks_

_Alright so no random question today folks but __**my question to you all is do you like this so far? Is there anything that makes you groan and skip? Anything you feel could have been done Differently? **__I've reached that writing point with this story when you start doubting everything you do._


	13. Chapter 13: Man Down

_Last Updated: Feb. 9th 2016_

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I was dragged down with the weight of the person who was now using _me _as an aid.

_'Focus' _I told my self sternly._ 'Get a freaking grip and help people' _I had to manually pull the foggy veil from my brain and eyes, but upon doing so, I got a chance to look at the person beside me.

I had never seen Tori in such a vulnerable state before. She was on the ground on her side, breathing with tiny, shallow agonizing breaths. I could see the blood begin to pool in her hands.

"Shit" I hissed under my breath. I crashed to my knees and moved her hands away. She wasn't putting the right amount of pressure on the wound that was needed to lessen the bleeding. I knew she wasn't doing it because of the pain. I could feel the pain as soon as I touched her. It was as if someone had placed a single drop of molten steel just below the center of my rib cage and the liquid metal was now burning a tiny hole though my body.

"You're okay" I told her when I saw her eyes start to flutter. My voice tightened

It's fascinating just how thick blood feels when it coats your fingers. But if you think about it, I'd say it's good that you know what it is once you feel it.

My heart rate picked up instantly and so did my breathing. Hot tears clouded my vision but I wiped them away quickly with the back of my hand. I jerked down when I hear bullets and gunfire whizz by near me.

"No no no Tori, come on you have to get up" I said with panic, trying to keep her eyes open.

I had to double-take the person who had rushed past me. I shot my hand out grabbing their wrist. "Chris!" The mutant stopped in his tracks.

He looked down at me, seemingly surprised to see me there. "Josephine? What are you doing, we have to go!" He said, trying to get me to follow the masses by hoisting me up by my shoulders, but I struggled to push myself out of his grip.

"No!... Christopher Muse, you let me go right now!" I said loudly over the chaos of the place ripping myself harshly from him and I sank back down, placing a hand on Tori's abdomen to see if she had stopped breathing in the few seconds I had taken my attention from her.

He stopped for a moment to see what my fuss was all about.

"You gotta help her" I said looking up at him helplessly then back to Tori. I brushed her hair out of her eyes with my thumb.

You see, Christopher was one of those people I mentioned earlier that had taken up the mantle of being a leader. I knew he'd help, I knew he could heal; it was his mutation after all.

I watched him bend down and pick her up, I moved away so I wasn't blocking him. He turned to me. "Get out of here kid" He said, "I got her" I nodded and got up not caring that my hands were still covered in someone else's blood. I was out, pushing my way through the crowd again.

Looking around, I saw people being tackled to the ground with some kind of mutation suppressant and mild sedative shot into their bloodstream by the darts some of the men had.

_Kid..._

Peter! I look frantically over the tops of the heads in the crowd, which was rather difficult given I was a bit vertically challenged: at only 5' 5" a lot of the people here were taller than me.

The acrid smell of smoke hit my nose and throat with a stinging thickness and I nearly choked on the air around me. A pyrokenetic must have tried to used their mutation in some poorly executed last ditch effort to get away.

I was swept up in a current of frantic people who were rushing to get to the back door, but to my relief I felt the familiar blast of air rushing past me and nearly knocking me over.

"Peter!" I cried and I saw him pause a few feet away, looking at me over the heads that stood between us. He was standing in the back of the huge crowd. I don't know how I had been separated from him but all I needed was to make sure he was alright.

In the chaos, those that were left behind the mutant school of fish were pinned to the floor in handcuffs or were laying motionless surrounded by the one vital liquid that runs through their veins.

"Josie you need to get out" I heard him shout at me. I tore my eyes from what was behind him and locked onto his for a fraction of a second.

That's when I saw the dart hit his neck before he could even react. Time seemed to stand still for what seemed like an eternity and my knees almost gave out. I could only hear the pounding of my heart inside my chest and when I found my feet, instantly I was pushing my way through the crowd to get to him.

For the second time today I was stopped by someone's arms. I could tell it was David right away from his sheer size. "Don't even try, Josie" He warned, but I fought against his grip anyway as I watched those goddamn black-suited assholes literally swarm Peter's collapsed body.

"No- no, stop! Please!" I shouted still trying to pry myself way. David merely held me there like a kid holding a newly caught firefly or moth.

"We gotta go" He told at me. For the love of all that is good, I know that we have to go! People seriously needed to stop telling me this... I had gotten the message already.

But I wouldn't go, so instead of trying to persuade me into it, David just sighed and hoisted me over his shoulder instead, having to carry me out of the building. Part of me wondered if he knew or Tori's current state. There was no way he'd be here if her knew.

Once I was set back on my feet I looked back at the burning building, only getting a few seconds to do so until I was shoved forward

"Get out of here" David yelled at me. It took a few repetitions of that sentence to actually get me to do it.

I took off in a full sprint towards the coniferous forest that was just outside. Ducking under branches pushing through the needles on the the pines I felt the vegetation rip at my skin like thousands of pin-like claws.

From the corner of my eye I could see others running beside me, but they were trapped inside their own world of terror and paid no attention to my presence.

I heard one word in my head that wasn't my own. "_There" _It wasn't yelled or said loudly, it was said like a hunter would say after seeing the perfect game.

I heard the sound of something soaring through the air at eye-watering speeds and saw the woman who was running about ten feet away to my right come crashing down, hitting her head on a protruding rock.

Others around me also saw this and their panic was buzzing through my mind, infecting my own fear like a lethal parasite.

I tried to speed up, but I was no Peter. I knew I couldn't hide, couldn't outrun them. The fear that overcomes you when your cornered in a sense and probably about to die is extreme; it's the kind of fear that stops our whole body from moving, making it freeze and refuse to move at all. You'd think that adrenalin would prevent that but I guess our bodies fail us sometimes.

I also have to mention my irrational fear of needles, so the dart that sunk deeply into my calf caused a near panic attack before I sunk into a deep and quiet blackness.

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_A/N: hey guys I HATE this chapter. I think I could easily have turned it into two or three separate chapters... oh well, ill fix it someday. I'm really sorry for that delay! I'm seriously so jet-lagged from coming back. Apparently It's harder to go to a later timezone than an earlier one cause you stay up later. The other day I was up till five! I watched the freaking sun start to come up! Anyway, forget my rambling, its question time!_

_**Batman or Spider-Man?**_

_Now if we're talking about the movies I LOVE the dark knight trilogy, but I also really like the new amazing Spider-Man movies too. (don't worry, no spoilers from the new movie if you haven't seen it!) but when it comes down to it I like Batman's villains more and Spider-Man as a character more. What do you guys think?_

_Let me know!_

_Also vote, favorite, __**comment, **__fan or what ever you do._

_Hugs and butterfly kisses_

_Em_


	14. Chapter 14: Single and Solitary

_Last Updated: Feb. 9th 2016_

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I know what it feels like to be drugged. That thick and heavy slowness of your body that makes you almost incapable of doing anything productive. At least, not until even the smallest bit of it is out of your system.

The whole world sounded like I was in a bubble that was floating on the ocean. I could hear people around me, but I couldn't distinguish any specific voices.

Everything happened like it was one of those cliché crime dramas, when the person gets the crude black bag that was obscuring their view hastily ripped off of their head. The light hurt, and my groggy eyes didn't help tone down the intenseness of it all either. I had to squeeze them shut just to get the uncomfortable thickness out of them and get adjusted to the light.

The person who was standing behind me, the one who had yanked me from the darkness my vision was encased in, walked around to stand in front of me.

He was tall and wore a rather tattered looking dark blue suit. He had a grizzled completion and obviously hadn't cared much for his own appearance lately.

I realized at that moment that I had a choice: either to let my fear consume my conciseness, or to just shut it all out and to give this guy hell. I sighed internally, I was tired of giving in to others. I guess I could play whatever little game this guy was planning.

"Morning sunshine" the man said leaning in real close and bearing his teeth in an awful smile at me. It took a lot not to cough at the rancid breath that was blown into my face.

To my surprise, I could read this guys emotions and file, but my face must have given something away.

"You're no threat with your mutation" he said lazily, making me narrow my eyes. "In all reality, you're just a psychic. What are you gonna do, dazzle me with my past?" He sneered. I said nothing. Really, there was nothing I could say that would make him shut his damn mouth without sounding like an idiot.

His name's Marcus, people call him Kyle though which made me want to laugh. I mean come on... it is a pretty stupid nickname after all.

"Now, we're gonna have a little chat." Marcus said sitting down in the solitary chair that was across from mine in this dank little cubical of a room. "We're not gonna have a problem with you like we did with your friend over there, are we?" I ignored his comment even though I knew he wasn't bluffing.

"I'm only asking this once." He said and I was quick to spit back a retort.

"I'm only answering once" I said sitting stiffly, glaring at him straight in the eye.

I saw the corner of his lip twitch upward and he shifted in his chair so he was leaning on his knees, inches from my face. I held my ground and I did not flinch as I struggled to maintain a steady breath.

"Where are your other little freak-show friends." He said in a low, quiet voice. was he talking about the people that got away? Because if so, I have no idea.

"I don't know" I said quietly, still not moving my gaze because the second I did so, I would be giving in to him and I didn't want to do that. "You'll have to be more specific." I added, tilting my chin up slightly in a pompous way.

He slammed down something and ripped me from my chair, dragging me half by my shirt and half by my hair. He walked around a wall that seemed to act as a divider creating small little cubical rooms in a huge space. On the other side of the divider was a door with a small window. He stopped me and we stood there struggling for a few moments until he had me in a hold that pinned my arms down and allowed him access to a fist full of my hair.

"Look" he snarled as I tried any desperate attempt to leave his grasp. "I said look dammit!" He hissed into my ear forcing my head to the glass by my hair.

I stopped struggling for long enough to see what he wanted me to see and I could stop the cry that passed my lips when I saw the already hurt Tori cut bruised and mangled in a corner.

"We got your little leaders" he said into my ear again. "They're around four or five of you?" He said more like a statement than a question, licking his lips out of what seemed like habit. "Where are your other hideouts little missy?" He repeated his question from earlier and I couldn't help myself from pointing that out.

"Thought you were only gonna ask that once" I said barely in a whisper. And I saw something flash in his eyes read it through my mutation as rage, but he calmed it quickly.

I ended up being dragged again down a new hallway. After awhile I stopped fighting. It made it harder for him because he had to drag my full weight.

I was eventually thrown into what first glance had told me was cell. Single and solitary.

Now that's when the whole cliché crime drama stops, because usually they say some snarky comment and then slam the huge wrought iron door, but Marcus did none of that. He just left.

I had landed on my hip, it wasn't broken, but it would definitely leave one of those nasty melted-crayon box colored bruises. I pushed myself up, swearing a rather colorful melted-crayon box array of profanities. Looking around I saw my cell was only occupied by myself, but I was not the only cell in the area. Others were watching me with sadness on their faces, piled in their own cells with three or four to a small space. Sometimes they got their own, but I only saw one person by themselves as well.

I curled up tightly, trying to ignore the looks I was getting when I felt something hit my foot. It was small, but it got my attention. I stopped it with my hand. Smiling slightly when my fingers curled around that stupid little bright green bouncy ball that I had entertained myself with a few days back.

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_I am awful. I'm so sorry I didn't update for awhile!_

_Question of the day: who do you think would Josephine would be cast as? I'm curious to see what you guys see her as. Oh and for all those wonderin just where the heck the romance is in this story you must be patient young grasshopper! Good things come to those who wait!_

_A big thank you to those who have favorited or followed this month so far: Candyluver2121, Ivy Belle, neverAlone3665, the swan queen, and zebrazoe._

_And to the reviewers of last chapter: guest 1,2, &amp;3, IKhandoZatman and LilyEvens2510._

_You guys rock my socks!_


	15. Chapter 15: The Circus Master

I was leaning agains the fantastically cool metal bars of my prison, my head resting on the steel. I looked up slowly to meet the eyes of the person that I was expecting to see. His appearance was utterly disheveled, a trail of blood was drying on the collar of his rather dusty and dirty shirt and jacket ensemble from the rather thick-headed dart that had got his neck. I returned the smile halfheartedly.

_You okay?_ Peter mouthed at me as he tilted his head, reminding me of a curious puppy. I wanted to hit him upside the head, but our distance was an issue.

_Of course I'm not okay_. I mouthed back with my eyebrows knitted together, but he only grinned at me. I shook my head against the bars looking down, not being able to keep a small smile from my own lips.

_How long? _I asked eventually.

_A day... two._ He replied wavering his hand in the air to indicate the time was a rough estimate.

At least now I knew he was okay and not being poked and prodded off on some crazy scientists lab table. Nonetheless that kind of thing: a simple smile was contagious, especially at a time and place such as this.

He was technically next to my own little cage, one of the guards pathways was what was between us. Even though I was leaning on the side closest to him the walkway created an even bigger gap than if he were on my left. I watched him do a kind of shuffle-scoot over to the bars closest to me and that was when I realized his wrists were bound not in the usual crude cloth or zip-ties I had seen on various people, but actual chains.

_Why?_ I mouthed again, too afraid to make any actual vocal sounds. He shrugged, but I knew that he had an idea as to why he was deemed "dangerous" enough to get chains. Not the great thick ones you would see restraining Grawp the giant, but they still made me pissed.

"How do we get out of this Josie?" He said in barely a whisper after a long silence during which I had lowered my gaze.

"I don't know." Where the only words I dared to speak aloud.

"You tied?" He asked, still being as quiet as could be.

I shook my head.

"Then kick this guy's ass." He said with a fraction more of volume than I would have liked.

As if Peter were the psychic now a harsh bell rung over the vast room of imprisonment we were all held in.

Dull eyes and mechanical heads turned to the doors at the end of the way. Around ten people in crisp white uniforms walked in at a brisk pace, breaking off to go down different aisles and stopping at various cells including mine.

It was a woman at mine, she has her hair put in a very nurse-like and neat updo. She wore a white cap and kept her eyes down from mine, as though she were trying not to startle me.

"Come on, love up you go." She said leaning down to get me up. I noted her light English accent and stumbled to my feet. Like everyone else, I was confused. These people didn't seem malicious, they seemed gentle and patient.

"Where are you taking her?" I heard Peter demand, his voice urgent and stiff: the only sharp voice to cut through !the entire hall.

People in their cells shifted their gaze to him in random clusters. I froze halfway through standing and watched him as well.

"Don't you take her." He said in a warning beginning to panic, struggling with the chains that bound him. His eyes ablaze with an emotion I read through my mutation, but could not put to prober words.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked slowly, still watching Peter.

"Just come along, dear. Everything will be alright." she said kindly.

I then began to get a rotting feeling in my stomach. It didn't make sense. why take only some of us? They seemed pretty specific too.

She guided me by my arm as if she were helping a person to walk again. And Peter began shouting at her. I was obviously missing some important key here, because I didn't understand Peter's panic, but either way it still made me anxious and panicky as well.

"Take care of him please" the nurse said to a blue-vested guard as we passed him.

"No, Josephine, wait!" was the last painful thing I heard before the insulated doors were shut.

Along with the ten others, I was led at the front of a single-file line down new and better kept passageways compared to the ones I had been drug through. I was trying not to panic and was struggling to maintain a steady breath with every step I took.

"Here we are." The Nurse said smiling at me as she held a pristine white door open for me.

"What did you do with him" I asked bluntly in a low voice before I steppe a foot in that room holding up the rest of the people. I had to look down to meet her eye since she was a good three or four inches shouter than me.

"Young love never lasts dear, trust me." She tutted, patting my arm as she half shoved me in.

While her hands were still on my back I grabbed her wrists and pinned her easily to a wall because of her minuscule size, my forearm against her throat. I didn't care about the others that were behind us.

"I don't give a fuck what you have to say about relationships." I said quietly with a strenuous calm to my voice. "I didn't ask about our future together did I? I asked about where he is right now." I whispered leaning into her windpipe only slightly.

"Now now Josephine, is that anyway to treat such a kind soul?" A rather collected man said said, standing to my right.

My eye didn't move from the nurses for another five seconds while I just glared at her before I pushed her away from me and she collapsed to the ground, unharmed... for the most part. There might be a bruise or two. Turning to face the person who had spoken I was indeed greeted by a man who was in his early forties, forty-one to be exact, though he looked really good for his age.

"Who are you?" I asked stating to get tired of having to ask all these questions.

"Not an enemy." He said smoothly and I narrowed my eyes. "No really, I'm a mutant as well" He said when he saw my skepticism. Holding out his hand palm up I felt the opal ring that I always wore on my right hand be tugged off and settling nicely in his outstretched hand. "My names Eric"

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A/N: hello good people! Thanks for the love!

Question of the day: who's your favorite X-man?

Mine? I've said it before, its Colossus but I also really like Iceman... mostly because he has the exact same name as my father! Robert Drake... freaky huh? But he's also a pretty good dude.

Love goes to: Oh my Batman is that Spitfire for following and favoriting and Just8Bounty6 for following!

And muchas gracias to IkandoZatman, WizardDragon and the four guests who commented

and tip of the hat to LilyEvans2510 whose comments always make me laugh!


	16. Chapter 16: Daddy Issues

"And what exactly is that supposed to meant to me?" I asked this so called "Erik" person as I crossed my arms.

"Well, I believe that you should know that answer." He said in a quiet voice, cocking an eyebrow at me and I frowned. I hated cryptic answers with a passion.

I turned my whole body to face him now, narrowing my eyes as I stood there hesitantly probing about his mind and his past, afraid of what I might find. I saw the horrors this man had seen in his life. Images of a brutally murdered family member, scenes of torture and suffering mixed with flashes of angry, scared and sorrowful emotion threatened corrupt my strictly kept rigid stature.

"Horrible, isn't it?" Erik asked with a light smirk.

"Being one who advocates for mutant rights and recognition, you sure made it clear we were welcomed." I said rather bitterly.

His sharp gaze flicked away from me to the others he had gathered and he clasped his hands behind his back.

"Like my dear Josephine so kindly pointed out, it would be safe to assume you're all wondering why you're here." He began and paused a moment as if waiting for a reply. "All if you have a close connection in some way or another to a rather dear friend of mine." I was beginning to get annoyed by the dramatics this guy was putting on. "Professor Charles Xavier." A younger boy next to me shifted rather uncomfortably on his feet.

"And what do want us to do?" I heard someone say. "kill him?" I turned my head to see a woman in her mid-twenties a few people down. she had an arrogant eyebrow raised and was leaning on her hip while she watched him.

"In a way, yes" Erik replied to my surprise and I instantly felt my stomach plunge into icy water. Their history was mutual, I mean, didn't Charles save his life once?

"Dude you're crazy." The girl said with a dismissive attitude and a cold laugh. "He's got the fucking government to trust him." She added.

"Is that so?" Erik asked "then why have you all been negated access to places deemed public? why are families afraid to let you near their children? the human race uses these false weapons to lure in those too afraid to stand for justice. What do they have that we don't?" He asked intending it to be a rhetorical question but I answered anyway.

"They have machines that target mutants only." I said

"And they have been destroyed."

"They can rebuild" I shot back bitterly. He knew arguing with a person like me would just turn into a game of tennis with no winner and only one who caves first.

I knew what he was doing. I knew that the word he used were specifically chosen to alter ones mindset and get them to follow his word rather than their own. I had toned out his whole speech on human malice and instead let my mind wander about the pasts and descriptions of those around me.

The man to the right of me apparently dropped out of high school his senior year and only until his parents knew about his mutation were they furious. A person a couple people down from me turned out to have a weird taste for grilled cheese with ranch dressing which made me want to gag. Then I saw a haze of some one I recognized in the cloud of memories and information the fogged my brain. A younger version of a the kind redhead, Magda. I knew the memories came from Erik, but I didn't want to know why and some things are best left alone. Yet once I heard Peters name get tossed in the mix I had no choice but to hesitantly probe the recently resurfaced memories.

Part of me knew it before I actually did. yeah I know that's pretty stupid to say, but it's true. Images of burning buildings and hate-filled people that mingled with happy sights of a new family, love and a baby girl began to tell a story in my mind's eye. The sounds of a screaming child echoed around my mind and where followed by the sound of a mob and a crackling fire. The man before me used to have a family; a wife and daughter, but the sudden loss of her life caused him to seek revenge and use his mutation against the humans who were responsible. When that fire had broken-out in the inn that His wife and her family were staying in, His daughter, Anya, was trapped on the upper floors and a mob of people prevented Erik from rescuing her. Enraged, Erik's powers manifested uncontrollably, killing the men holding him from reaching his Anya, as well as the crowd watching, and a large section of the city of Vinnitsa where they had stayed. Traumatized by both her daughter's death and Erik's new powers, His wife fled him, discovering months later she was pregnant again. After giving birth to the mutant twins, Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, under the care of Bova Ayrshire on Wundagore Mountain, his wife fled into the wilderness, angry and scared, and soon perished in the cold. This dark and brooding man was Peter's father.

* * *

A/N: I'm really sorry for the delay and the fact that this chapter sucked and was short but my dog, George passed away and I've taken it pretty hard. Pets can be your best fried, ya know?

I know you guys will understand and I would love to hear any comments or suggestions or even just a smiley face cause it would make me feel a bit better

-lots of love

Em


	17. Chapter 17: All Good Things

I stood alone in that same cellar of a room when everyone had eventually shuffled out. No one payed any notice to the fact that I had stayed behind, although some had given me questioning looks, I assumed they all thought I was gonna pin them to a wall too if they got too close. Which to me seems pretty stupid cause I'm only 5' 5" and that witch of a nurse was barely 5 5' 3". Seriously though, I'm really not that threatening, if anything I'm just a pain in the ass... More like a mosquito than anything.

I heard a small shifting noise behind me and I knew who it was because I could feel his smug little attitude .

"Does he know?" I asked not moving from my dark little corner, feeling pretty awesome because of the dramatic effect it created.

"Why else would he panic like he did?" Erik asked simply.

I paused for a moment contemplating his words. "You know I didn't buy all that bullshit you were force feeding down those people's throats right?" I said changing the topic suddenly and turning to see that irritating little half smile on his self-righteous spoiled annoying head.

"Believe it or not, I do have common sense you know"

"But not much moral stability." He countered, as though he thought I was some hard-ass who liked handing out bruises as if they were candy and it was Halloween. I was about to correct him on that fact until I realized the potential good his inability to read people could bring me.

"So... are you just gonna let me go?" I asked after there was a long and awkward silence.

"Most likely." He replied, folding his arms I noticed my ticket out of here in his left hand.

"And Peter?" I asked knowing full well I was pushing my luck with that one.

"Exceptions can be made." I watched him with scrutinizing eyes for any signs of falsehood in his demeanor but this guy had a poker face that would put even Lady Gaga to shame.

I walked past him slowly, there is no way in hell that I'm trusting this guy that easily. I plucked the keys from his left hand as a passed him and almost paused in the doorway, but doing that might have required that I talk with him more and I wasn't quite up for that either.

"Well that went better than I had hoped it would" I said aloud to myself as I fanned through the keys.

Now I'm no locksmith, nor am I some super awesome rebel who know how to pick locks so picking out the key I was looking for was no easy task. It was more like a game of chance.

I had followed the only passageways that I was familiar with to get to my place in mind. I'm also pretty sure I took more than one wrong turn cause the whole trip that had initially taken two or three minuets had taken me a good six or seven. I almost had to stop for directions.

I knew as soon as I stepped foot in the 'cell room' everyone would have the expectation that I was either going to hurt them or set them free. But I also knew that if I tried to get anyone else out I would get the equivalent to some mer-person at my throat with a trident telling me "only one" and to which I would reply "but their my friends too", but alas there would be no shark headed Bulgarian there I scare them off and I would have no choice but to let down the people that had looked up to me a few days ago. Although I made my actions as quiet as I could possibly make them, I still got my predicted outcome. Dull and melancholy gazes slowly turned my direction, but I pretended to take no notice and kept my eyes foreword and my pace steady. No one said a word to me as I wove through the rectangular labyrinth and the silence was almost worse, it was defining and it made my pulse rise.

I found my argentate friend doing what everyone else was doing, but his eyes light up when he saw me unlike everyone else's. I silently prayed that the key I had randomly selected would fit the lock and to my utter shock and awe it did. I noticed the sneaky bastard had already gotten out of the chains so if I had given him enough time he probably wouldn't have even needed the set of keys I had.

I can't even begin to say how thankful I was at the fact that Peter never said a word during the whole time. it wasn't until we had gotten out of that hell hole the he said anything.

"You're real stupid, you know that?" I heard him say next to my ear as I tried my hand again at navigating the halls.

It got to the point where I was utterly lost, getting really annoyed and about to turn around and smack Peter upside the head for walking so heavily. Yeah, I know I'm probably overreacting, but at this point I had no freaking clue where I was and that can really get under your skin, ya know?

"You're lost aren't you?" Peter asked as I stopped in one of the medical looking hallways to try and calibrate where I was.

"Yes I'm freaking lost." I snapped in a harsh whisper, sending him a glare.

When my head turned in his direction a flash of green caught my eye through one of long and thin vertical door windows. I realized that the green belonged to a person, their hair in fact.

"Josie?" Peter said when he noticed my transfixed gaze and he turned to look too.

There on what seemed to be an operating table was a little girl, no older than ten who was unconscious and was wearing a light blue hospital gown. There where a few people in scrubs that looked to be discussing things that were in audible to me.

That son of a bitch.

Peter must have realized it at the same time I did because as I made a start for the door his arm blocked me from reaching it. becoming a barrier I couldn't get around no matter how much I fought against it.

"No! Lorna! That's my sister" I cried as I pushed as hard as I could to try and get to her. I could feel a small snap inside my mind and all the pent up emotions came flooding out of the dam I had locked them away in. All the anger, sadness, fear and hopelessness I had been feeling for the past two weeks.

Peter must have decided to remove me from the situation entirely because eventually I was lifted from my feet and forcibly carried out of the facility all together, like he had known the way out the entire time.

"No, I can't just leave her there!" I said through tears as I tried to sidestep the fastest person on the planet. "That was my sister, that was Lorna" I said desperately.

"Josie-" Peter said trying to get my focus.

"What the hell did they do? They probably turned her into a freaking puppet," I said, blending my words together as I spoke them quickly with a hysterical panic.

"Josie..."

"-I have to go get her...I have to go get-"

"Josephine!" He said sharply, gently placing his hands on either side of my face to stop my panicking eyes from wandering frantically. I stopped for only a moment, but it was long enough for him to get a few words in.

"There is nothing you can do right now." He said in a quiet urgent voice as if he feared I wouldn't listen. "You're only one person. Now maybe you get a few good punches in, which I know you can-" He added making me smile faintly. "But you know you can't take on all of them Josie. You'd put yourself at risk of being tied down to one of those operating tables and I can't let that happen." He said with a sternness that rarely came out of him.

I stood there unable to say a word for what seemed like an eternity. Barely able to make eye contact either.

"I won't let that happen." He corrected after that long silence, leaning his forehead on mine.

I was collected now. I had re-bricked the dam in my mind and part if me made a vow to not let it collapse again anytime soon.

"I left them all behind." I whispered. "I don't even know why we got to walk." I rambled on in a quiet voice. And the more I thought of the whole situation the more panic started to be heard in my voice and the faster my breathing picked up. I shut my eyes tightly and tried to focus on everything around me: the sounds of leaves being rushed thorough by the wind, the feeling of that same breeze blowing my disastrously knotted curls into an even bigger catastrophe, the warmth and complicated energy I picked up from Peter. _This is what's real._ I told myself silently.

"I feel like I didn't do enough." I sighed, my eyes still shut for the sake of my own sanity.

I gave a small intake of air when I felt lips press to my temple and I squeezed my eyes tightly for a fraction of a second. "Nothing is your fault, Josephine... at least not this time for once." There he goes again. The cheeky bastard couldn't go without cracking at least one joke every twenty minuets.

A subconscious smile speed across my face the same way fire consumes a dry field; staring at one end and spreading to the other. I tilted my head to look up still smiling. But before I met his eyes I felt his lips meet my own. My shock melted away after a few seconds and I kissed him back. Nothing over-the-top or anything close to what you'd find in an E.L. James book (which I've never read, I promise) but as quickly as it came, it passed. I guess it follows that one saying "all good things must come to an end"

"I've wanted to do that for awhile now" I heard him say which acted like pouring a bucket of ice water on an unsuspecting showerer.

"Oh god dammit Peter" I swore and he looked affronted.

"What?"

"You're such an asshole" I mumbled and he leaned down.

"Ah, but the catch is that, that's the best freaking part." He said in my ear which only made me smirk.

* * *

A/N: hey guys! So I'm gonna apologize right off the bat for the swearing in this chapter. I'm a pretty big foul-mouth in my day-to-day life but I am kinda worried people won't like it. The second apology is for the references to a certain pop star that I don't even listen to (I don't like pop) and a certain steamy novel (never read it but by now I'm sure everyone knows what's goin on in that book) and a bro-fist goes to all those who picked up my Harry potter reference.

Question of the day: did you guys go see guardians of the galaxy? If so what did you think? PLEASE DON'T SPOIL IT FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T SEEN IT!

Oh and let me answer that for you: it was freakin awesome! Arguably the best marvel movie to date! I loved Drax a lot for some reason and Rocket and Groot are a close second!

Thanks For reaching:

follows: 103

happypanda19, Jinx Rose, KyanaWindslow, MadderThenTheHatter, nyxdragon2023, SuperWhoPotterAvenge-X, msjones1998, BytheSea232 and Pngrum. (so I didn't have any paper on hand but I did have a pen so I literally used my hand to write and remember all your guy's name lol)

reviews: 43

BytheSea232(twice!) and BrySt1

favorites: 51

Designation CrimsonSong, WIP Writer In Progress, gvae-Fullmetal-94,msjones1998, KyanaWindslow, MadderThenTheHatter, Pngrum, SuperWhoPotterAvenge-X, and BytheSea232


	18. Chapter 18: hot wire

Apparently we weren't that far away from a city. It was one of those little ones where everyone's probably knows everyone else and the local fair is the biggest and most exciting event that happens throughout the year.

I had managed to swipe some different clothes from a second hand place and to my surprise and delight I found a mechanics place wedged between a sketchy bowling alley and a pizza place.

"Come on." I said pulling Peter behind me as I proceeded to j-walk across the not so busy street. If you're wondering what the hell is going on between the two of us the least I can say is that there wasn't any awkwardness between us like I had thought there would be. Neither of us said a word on the subject and I was totally fine with that.

"What are we doing?" he asked rather confused.

"You'll see" I said craning my neck around a corner to two directions to check for potential trouble.

As I had predicted there were multiple cars in the back. some of them looked like they had gone untouched for at least thirteen years, but a particular blue 1987 Buick Regal.

"No... no way we're stealing a freakin car Josie" Peter hissed at me as I walked/skipped over to it and slid into the front seat.

"Got any better ideas?" I asked as I leaned over to get to the steering column. "and besides, you can't say you haven't stolen your fair share of stuff." I managed to kick it off after a few tries.

"I've corrupted you." He scoffed going to sit on the hood and I only smirked.

I managed to pick out the ignition wires (they ran vertically) but I needed to cut them. "go find me wire cutters" I said and in a split second he appeared at my side holding out his hand with what I needed.

It took me roughly five minuets to carefully strip the wires about an inch back then pressed it to the wire for the engine battery happily getting a spark and a low grumble of the engine. I made sure to test the gas a few time to it wouldn't stall on me. The only obstacle left was the steering lock which, given the heart breaking state of this car would break with just a good bit of force.

To my delight the car stared up and I got the steering lock disabled, albeit it almost sounded like it was gonna give out on me for a second.

"So where did you learn to hot wire a car?" Peter asked, sitting next to me now in the passenger seat facing me with an elbow on the dash as I pulled out of the lot. How we got away with this I do not know.

"I spent a solid four hours once reading a car manual." I said wishing it was a cooler story. "I could probably tell you every part and what it does... If you know how it works then its not hard." I shrugged. Contemplating the whole situation.

So here I was on my way in an illegal vehicle with a cocky silvery-haired moron, in a place I didn't even, know where trying to get back to the institute.

And to me honest, the only thing that predominantly stood out in my mind was I really missed my own bed.

A/N: well as promised I got a chapter out! Now that doesn't mean it's a good one at all :)

Sorry it's so short!

Also yes I know how to hot wire a car PLEASE DO NOT GO DOING THIS ON YOUR OWN! DON'T STEAL CARS GUYS! Sorry I feel like I had to put this out the cause of moral reasons lol.

Question of the day: what's your favorite movie?

Me? Wreck it Ralph has been a weird favorite movie of mine even though I'm 17 lol.


	19. Chapter 19: Home

About halfway through our trip I had pretty much passed out, so I had been scooted over to the passenger seat which allowed me to promptly curl up into what could only be described as the comfiest way to sleep in a car. I was in a ball, nearly all the way upside down with my head laying comfortably against the seat if the chair and my feet tucked in a meticulous way the grove that was in between the seat and door so they didn't keep slipping and hanging off the edge of the chair... lets just say I am the master of awkward sleeping positions. I could probably write the novel (with a definite sequel) on how to sleep on an airplane too.

"Well I'm just attractive" I stated rather bluntly when I got a look at myself in the mirror.

Caution! This sleeping procedure will give you the gnarliest bed-head that you've ever had in your life... Ever.

"It's a good look." I heard Peter remark which earned him getting the closest object that was near me hurled at him. lucky for him it was just a box of tissues.

"We almost there yet?" I groaned as I wrangled my blonde curls up into what somewhat resembled a bun.

"It depends on where you had intended 'there' to be." He said and I gaped at him, trying to determine if he was being serious.

"So you're telling me that you've just been driving in any which-way for the past three hours?" I asked in a monotonous tone.

"Nah, I'm just being a dick. we've got half and hour at the most." He said and once again he earned a flying shoe right into his stupid little silver head.

"You're unbelievable, ya know that?" I grumbled and he only laughed.

We sat in a comfortable silence for the remainder of the fifteen minuets that it took to reach the institute this was probably due to the fact I had nearly fallen asleep again. Peter had managed to cut the time nearly in half due to his speedy tendencies. Its either that or he's got a serious case of lead-foot syndrome.

"I'm gonna go talk to the professor" Peter said and I nodded "don't die while I'm gone" he added before disappearing and leaving behind only a rush of air. I leaned over and undid the wires that kept the car running.

After I too got out, I trudged towards the large wooded doors at more of a human speed than my silvery friend and braced myself for seeing faces I hadn't seen in what seemed like decades. Sucking in a breath, I pulled the doors open and was immediately relieved to see that I had made it back at a time when the kids would be in class rather than the hallways. After seeing this I let my breath deflate like a balloon and I made my way as quietly as I could through the deafeningly quiet hallways looking for good ol' room number 1-0-6.

Nothing had been touched in all the time that I had been gone. Dust danced in the beams of light that filtered through the windows and it tickled my nose. All of my books still were strewn across my floor and my little plant that I had on the windowsill was drooping. I frowned when I saw this and swiped up a little Dixie cup that was nestled in a unopened stack of others and padded over to the bathroom to get some water for the poor little guy. I was on my bed and leaning over to water it so I conveniently proceeded to face plant after I set the cup down. I stayed there for the next six minutes untill the bell broke through the warm silence and my shattered my foggy half-sleeping state. the Bell triggered the sound of voices chattering like birds through the walls, but one voice stood out in particular.

"Quit waking so slow."

"[Insert a different persons voice that I couldn't quite pick out]"

"-because, I wanna say hi before she bolts again." I grinned into the comforter hearing a Jean's faint voice from all the way down the hallway.

"Seriously warren I will single handedly pluck every single one of your freaking feathers if you don't walk- thank you!" I sat up, estimating I had about thirteen seconds to prepare myself. I quickly tried to organize some of my books that where carelessly strewn about the floor, but it was too late.

"She's alive!" I heard Warren say, standing in my doorway with a very excited looking Jean standing in front of him.

I was soon suffocated by Jean in a tremendous hug. "Why didn't you tell us you'd be coming back today?" She asked... well, more like demanded. "In fact, why didn't you tell us what was happening at all?"

I shrugged "I didn't even know. It was all kinda impromptu I guess."

"S'that Josie?" I heard Sage ask, having to get up on her toes to pear over Warren.

"Yeah, she's back" warren said letting the shorter girl through.

"What? No, I'm not staying" I said quickly, my gaze fleeting between my three friends.

"Why not?" Jean asked, the smile on her face falling like someone flipped a switch.

They don't get it, do they? I thought sadly. "Long story" I said with a sigh.

"Does it involve Lorna?" Sage asked in a whisper. I flinched. "Sorry, that was kinda dumb" she apologized quickly.

"No, it's okay" I said, deflating back onto my bed. "You guys been out since I left?" And Warren shook his head. "Well to put it in short, it's a shit-fest out there." I saw him chuckle darkly and shake his head crossing his arms, "I know, the first night we were turned away from every goddamn place we stopped." I said raking my fingers through my hair tiredly after taking it out of its bun.

"We?" Sage asked, planting herself on my desk and Jean claimed my chair.

"Yeah... Peter" I said gesturing in some vague direction. "He's somewhere with the professor. Apparently their compadres."

We sat for a while just catching up. Jean listed off names of some of new students that had joined the school in the two weeks I had been gone. It turns out lots of kids know just how bad the situation is getting too, this place must have been regarded as pretty safe. Sage went on to talk about some of the school stuff they had been doing and I pretty much zoned out at that point. I already knew what had happened, I could read it from them under their recent events area.

Recently, I had been noticing a change in my mutation. Maybe it was because I didn't have a need for it, or maybe I truly was changing. The information that ran in front of my vision when I looked at someone seemed slightly dull and hazy. It wasn't as neatly organized as it usually was. Not only did things look different, but I hadn't been able to look into any specific memory in a long time. Not since I found out Magda's story.

"What's wrong" I heard Jean say, pulling me out of my own thoughts.

"Nothing, just thinking" I said shaking my head.

Warren was about to say something when the bell cut him off.

"Hungry?" Sage asked, jumping down from her perch on my desk.

"I'm always hungry" I replied with a smile.

I was corralled out of my room by these three after I said this and despite putting on a facade of light-hearted annoyance I was glad to be back walking these halls with them.

But I knew it was only temporary. I had to go back. I just hoped I wouldn't have to be alone when I did.

A/N: I hate technology sometimes... I had to rewrite This chapter FOUR times! Oh well, it's up now!

I'm still debating on who I should pair Josie with... What do you guys think? (It can be ANY x-man, even people I haven't introduced yet.) I was gonna do Colossus but I realized I can't cause his name is Peter...

Love you guys!

-em


	20. Chapter 20: moonlight and stars

It felt strange to be back. It felt as though I had never actually left. People were smiling and chatting all around me as if they were completely oblivious to the outside world. I heard stories from people over dinner and in turn, I told my stories as well, trying not to hyperventilate out of an anger-filled panic at the thought of everyone I left behind the entire time.

Eventually the sun sank below the horizon and the pink streaks of the last color of the day faded into black. I sat on my bed in a pale blue tank top and black and white striped pajama bottoms, looking out the window that was next to my bed. I had managed to escape the onslaught of people interaction for just long enough to squeeze a shower into my night. It felt amazing to be clean. My hair was in neat and unfrizzy curls compared to the ratty poof it had been in earlier. It hadn't been in curls like it was now, more like strange squiggles.

The moon had snuck out from the dark corners of the sky and shown directly into my room, flooding it with a cool pale light. I heard the familiar sound of moving air next to me, but I didn't bother to look away from the smiling man on the moon.

"I've always wondered what the world looks like when you do that." I said beginning to lazily count the stars. "How you can open my door and I won't ever see it." I finally spared a glance. He was smiling.

"It looks like I'm the only one who's moving." He said.

"But if you look close enough everything is moving... just a whole hell of a lot slower than I am."

I grinned trying to imagine what it looked like, wishing I could look back into some of his memories to see for myself like I normally could.

"How'd it go?" I asked, casually changing subjects.

Peter gave away no blatant emotions on his face, but I knew him well enough to see all of the little micro ones.

"It didn't go well did it?" I asked with a mildly grim expression.

"They're just trying to work out what the hell to do." He said with an utterly exhausted look on his face and running a hand through his hair.

It hurt to see him like that so I scooted over on my tiny twin-sized bed and beckoned him to join me. I ended up being utterly squished against the wall. He wasn't actually that big, he was just doing it to piss me off.

"I wonder if they are still doing-" I had begun out of ire curiosity, but my question was answered when I heard the familiar knocking that started at the end of the hallway. "dorm checks" I finished with a huff.

The next thing I knew the sharp rap was on my door and clamored over Peter unceremoniously then face planting into my rug before popping up to my feet and tugging the door open, slightly out breath.

I began my rambling before she even got a syllable in. "Ms. Downing!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up like one would when on a roller coaster then proceeding to hug her.

"How are you!? you're looking well! Jumped on that kale train have we? I heard its and absolute miracle food! Not that you would need it... Oh it's so nice to see you again!" I said in one big breath.

"Josephine, my dear, it's lovely to see you again as well." A rather flustered Ms. Downing said, patting my back awkwardly. I released her then stood back with an absurd grin on my face.

"Oh it's so nice to be back at the institute! Knowledge is power ya know what the say!... Well, Goodnight then!" I said waving a small goodby which she reciprocated meekly, looking utterly flabbergasted over the whole thing.

After shutting my door I had to pinch my nose to keep from absolutely losing it. Her face was just too perfect for the whole thing. I slid against the door, holding my abdomen.

"Oh my god I can't believe that actually worked." I said wiping a tear from my bottom lashes after I had managed to compose myself a little.

"Ah yes, the old shock and run tactic, works every time." Peter said like an old scholar.

I was still chuckling as I made my way back to the little sliver of bed that I had been so graciously granted by this metallic-haired Sir. I jumped over him, and landed on my butt exactly where I wanted to be.

"Someone get this girl to the Olympics" Peter remarked and I stood up, taking a bow.

"I'd like to thank the academy-"

"All right there Katherine Hepburn." He said and I sat back down, still chuckling.

We sat in a light hearted silence for the next almost ten minuets.

"Has your mutation changed recently?" I asked suddenly, relieving a huge weight from my chest.

"Not that I'm aware of, what makes you ask?"

"I feel like mine has." I said sitting up and wrapping my arms around my knees.

"How so?"

"I don't know" I sighed, staring to regret brining up the topic entirely. "I just can't do some of the things that I could any more"

"Like?"

"Looking at memories. feeling emotions from other people... hell, I couldn't even tell if you were happy or sad." I said pressing my forehead into my hands.

"But it's not possible to just lose an ability, isn't it?"

"I don't know" I admitted miserably. "Maybe I'll go talk to Sage tomorrow."

I felt him sit up too and snake and arm around my waist. I melted a little bit at the touch.

"Well can you tell what emotion I've got right now?" Peter asked me in a startlingly gentle voice.

I shook my mind free of these thoughts and concentrated hard for a moment, that extra sense that I always envisioned as dark murky cloud that told me other people's emotions was reaching out blindly, grasping only empty space.

"No" I said quietly after awhile.

"I'll give you some help on this one cause it's kind of a tough one; Picture someone taking a physical representation of safety. What do you see when you think of safety?"

You I wanted to say, but I said the second thing that came to my mind instead. "An old chair next warm fireplace" I said a smile dusting my lips.

I heard him chuckle at me answer. "Now what do you see when you think of being content?"

Being with you I thought with and internal sigh. "A happy family" I said. And he didn't rely right away. "What? Not my family, one of those hallmark Christmas movie families with the perfect lives."

"Alright then.. lastly what do you see when you think of helplessness."

This last one threw my off guard and had my mind scrambling for an answer. "Being stranded at sea with only your water proof suit cases to keep you afloat"

"I guess that's one way to see it" he said trying to wrap his head around it... "now take all of those images and put them all in front of you side-by-side" He said "then put it all on a spin-cycle on low and like magic, you've got my emotion at the current moment."

I smiled and looked up from my comforter. He looked rather proud of himself.

"You're something, you know that?" I said scrunching up my nose.

"But it made you feel better, didn't it?"

I nodded "of course it did Peter" I said laughing. Of course it did.

A/N: Hey guys! So I got a lead on our schools fall play this year: a Wrinkle in Time (I'm Mrs Whatsit!) so if I seem a little laggy (which I shouldn't, but in the case that I do) you know why! Also anyone to name the movie I referenced when I mentioned the floating suitcases get my appreciation and a lovely lovely shout out!

Question of the day: what do you guys think about the deadpool movie being green-lit? (Being confirmed)

Me?: *singing and dancing in circles* I'm so excited!


	21. Chapter 21: Security Breach

"You're sure there's nothing wrong?" I asked for the zillionth time as I followed behind Sage like the most annoying and repetitive shadow anyone could have.

"God Josie, do you want me to just say you're dying or something so you'd shut up?" She said not bothering to turn and look at me. She stopped doing that about twenty minuets ago.

I was in her room while she was attempting to clean up the heaps of papers and laundry that were strewn about everywhere.

"But you're sure nothing's changed right?"

"No! Nothing has changed and that's the last time I'm saying it." she snapped snatching up a sweater.

"You're sure she's not dying?" Peter asked from her bed, struggling to hide a grin and use a very concerned/serious face.

Sage chucked the shirt at him "quiet you" she warned shooting him a glare. "You're not helping. Who are you even, you've been here for what, twenty minuets now and I don't even remember letting you in."

"Moral support" he said with a lopsided smile. "Oh and I kinda let myself in."

She watched him with narrowed eyes for a few moments then after deciding to just ignore him she turned to me. I straightened up, intent on what she was about to say.

"Look Josie, nothing's changed okay? You're still a freak like everyone else at this place. Maybe you're just distracted or psyching yourself out." I heaved a sigh but she raised a finger to silence me. "Tell me what you see about me right now."

"You sure? I mean I know everybody's secrets and I tend to live by the oath of confide-"

"Just do it." She cut me off.

I shrugged, "I don't know, I see what I always see: a rapid list of information right next to your head" I said gesturing to the left.

"Alright, now pick a memory."

The rapid fire of tiny facts about this girl paused briefly and it switched to a new onslaught of words mixed with emotions that were blurrier but still legible. I caught one, stoping it like I had placed a tack there so it wouldn't move.

"Now what?" I said

"Watch it." She said obviously struggling to keep her sarcasm down.

"I can't."

"Yes you can." She snapped, hitting me upside the head. "Try harder."

I took a deep breath and focused on the memory I had picked. The next thing in knew I found myself in a sudden wave of heat and sand, squinting through the sudden blast of hot light. I saw a girl walking I front of me her black hair was long, unlike how it was now and she still went by the name of Tessa.

She had been in Afghanistan for awhile now, but recently she felt herself compelled to enter a cave in the Hindu Kush mountain range for the past few weeks now and only just found a way there. The cave walls were lit and splattered with shadows from the blazing sun outside. She ran her hands along the warm and smooth walls as she travelled further and further into the tunnels as I followed close behind, invisible to her in every way.

A massive pile of rocks stuck out strangely inside the smoothly walled chamber and I heard her gasp. Taking a few quick steps over I got to see what had surprised her. A body lay in the pile of stone, not an old and decayed body but one that was still alive. The body of Charles Xavier.

"Oh my god" I breathed in a quiet whisper. I had never bothered to look into how Sage had met the professor, she always looked so normal to me. So innocent.

I could tell she was initially wary of him, the way she kept glancing over her shoulder straight through me made that much obvious. Eventually Tessa got to pulling the critically injure professor from the debris and the memory faded to black.

I was back standing in front of a short-haired Tessa (which I honesty preferred). I was too shocked to be excited that I was not losing my "touch". I knew this girl had a murky past and it wasn't the easiest, but I never imagined that it'd be like that.

"Ta-da, you're cured. Can you get off my back?" She asked picking up my sweatshirt that she had borrowed a long time ago and thrusting it into my arms. "Now get out." She added shoving both myself and Peter out of her room with surprising strength and slamming the door.

"Well she's a lovely character." Peter said after a few beats of silence.

Later on in the day I say with a group of people in one of the rec. rooms. It was dark outside and the only lights in the room coming from the television and a small lamp next to Jean. I had taken over a burgundy love-seat that was in the corner. No one else really wanted it because it parallel to the t.v. so you couldn't watch what was on. They were watching Caddyshack, a movie that was definitely in my top ten comedies of all time, but I was just not up for it right then.

My eyes had drifted close for only about three minuets when I felt someone moving the chair. I didn't bother to open my eyes because I knew who it was. I lifted both of my legs up and out of the way and promptly returned them to their original position after Peter had sat down.

"What, you don't like Bill Murray?" he asked, resting his hand casually over my calf.

"No, I like Bill Murray, I just like sleep a little bit more" I replied matter-of-factly.

I heard him chuckle and fall into an easy quietness until I heard Jean's voice right next to my ear and it cut over the movie that was already beginning to be muffled by my slow descent into sleep.

"Josephine, can I talk with you for a second?" she asked in a low and quiet voice that tickled my ear.

"Yeah what's up?" I replied opening my eyes with a yawn.

"Not here if that's okay" she added. I nodded and lightly bumped Peter's arm y he'd lift them up.

The hallway light was blinding compared to the illuminating glow of the television screen. I turned to see Jean smiling at me.

"You two are seriously the cutest, I assume you picked him up along the way, what was his name again?"

"Peter" I half spoke half yawned. If she brought me out here just to say that I was not gonna be not the happiest of people. "We're not a thing" I added throwing her a look.

"And we've been friends since we were little. Is that all you wanted to talk to me about?"

"No, sorry I just had to say that- anyway! I wanted to tell you over dinner but you seemed to be rather enjoying yourself." She hesitated for a moment, biting her lip. "I wanted to tell you that there was a major security breach at the place where they've got your sister." She said in a timid voice. "A lot of people got out."

I stood there in silence for a long time as I tried to process what she had just told me.

"Where did you hear about this?" I whispered.

"It was in the newspaper, they put warnings in there saying that they were mentally unstable and highly dangerous."

"Thanks for telling me" I said giving her a small smile before deciding to head back to my dorm rather than go back to Peter.

I felt helpless. Lorna could be anywhere if she had been one of the people to get out. Who was I kidding, she is only ten. there is no way she got out without any help.

That night I prayed to just about every god I could imagine asking to keep my sister safe.

A/N: I'm really sorry for the delay but I hope you liked the chapter!

Question of the day: who is your favorite x-men villain besides magneto, he's already an obvious choice


	22. Chapter 22: Wanda

It was nearly one in the morning when a sliver of light smacked me square in the face. I squeezed my already closed eyes tighter and groaned in annoyance at the pestering light.

"Damn, I really tried to stay quiet" I heard my speedy man and rude intruder say.

"No, it's the light" I mumbled, half my face smushed against my pillow. "I'm impressed though, you actually went human speed."

"Do you know how hard it is to do that?" I heard him say. I just chuckled.

"Don't you have a room? Or was there a monster in your closet?" I asked opening my eyes now that the blinding light was gone.

"Nope, Professor never specified."

"Then where have you been sleeping the past few nights?" I asked, scrunching up my nose.

"My place" he shrugged, "Doesn't take me long to get there" Figures.

"How's Wanda?" I asked rubbing my eyes.

"She's good, busy like always though" He sat on the edge of my bed. "Scoot."

"No. Get your own sleeping spot" I whined pulling my blankets closer to me.

"Fine" He said with a dramatic sigh.

I smiled to myself, thinking he had accepted his loss until I felt a massive weight suddenly crush me.

"What are you doing?" I said into my pillow.

"Sharing space, what's it look like?"

"A pillow" I retorted, grabbing it from under me and whacking him in the face.

He made no annoying or snarky comments. He simply kept my pillow.

"Fine, I'll move over if you give me my pillow back."

"No way kid, you gave it up."

I laid there for a good four minuets, but I eventually gave in and scooted over.

"There, happy now?" I asked dryly as I snatched my pillow from him. I heard him chuckle.

The next thing I knew, it was morning.

I also knew that whatever time it was, I was late. My eyes flew open and I sprang out of bed, my feet getting snagged on my blankets causing me to kiss the floor. I just laid there for a few seconds groaning and trying to untangle my feet.

"That was graceful..." I heard Peter say and I managed to look up at him through my matted curtain of hair.

He was leaning against the corner of my desk with a cup of coffee.

Someone who was behind him sitting cross legged on top of my desk shot and exited hand up waving at me.

"Oh my god, Wanda" I gasped, my hand flying to my chest. Her sudden appearance made me jump.

"Good morning!" She said brightly.

"You weren't kidding when you said you were a heavy sleeper too, ya know" Peter added.

"So are you guys just gonna be the creepy twins who watch people sleep now?"

"No, I was about to throw something at you" Wanda said cheerfully.

I pushed myself up. "What time is it?"

"Time for you to get a clock in here" Peter replied glancing at all the typical locations one would usually place a time-telling device; walls, nightstands, desks, but I didn't have one. A problem that I knew existed, yet I really was too lazy to fix. He earned a slap in the arm from Wanda because if his remark. I didn't really need clock besides, my phone was really my alarm clock now-a-days.

"It's around five" Wanda added.

"Why didn't anyone get me up?" I asked, leaning against the side of my bed trying to make sense of my current hair predicament.

"Cause it's Saturday babe" I shot him a dirty look.

The perky redhead was who sat on my desk looked way too awake to be a real human being at the moment. "Now get up sleeping beauty we've got some errands to run" Peter had disappeared in about a fraction of a second but not before saying a quick goodbye leaving a snickering Wanda behind.

"What's got him off so quickly?" I asked as I got to my feet and trudged to my closet and rummaged through my drawers.

"He had to go talk with Xavier at five past" She said, checking the time on her phone and showing me.

"That's oddly specific" I mumbled as I tossed a pair of dark washed skinny jeans and a red top onto my bed.

I really didn't care about changing in front of Wanda. I've seriously known her for so long that neither of us could give two shits about it. Plus it also helps that she was one of those friends that is sometimes way too comfortable around you.

"So what kind of errands are we talking about?" I said just to break the not-very-awkward-but-still-quiet silence.

"All kinds" she said dismissively, "now lets go sunshine."

Hey guys! So I just want to say that this is a two parter chapter! The second par will be up tomorrow I just wanted to meet my own personal quota.

Also I was trying to decide who I wanted to base the look of Wanda after and I decided just to use the lovely Elizabeth Olsen who will be playing her anyway in avengers 2.

Question of the day: favorite tv show?

Mine is either Sherlock or Doctor Who (duh lol) so fan is being really stupid and won't let me edit my story properly so I suggest you go to WATTPAD to read a better version of it!


	23. Chapter 23: Green

I bundled even further into my jacket as I stumbled to keep up with my magical friend.

"Ya know, sometimes I wonder if you and your brother both got super speed" I grumbled.

"Nope!" She popped.

"But let's be honest, my mutation is way cooler" She added pausing for me to catch up and looping her arm around mine once I did.

"More like terrifying" I replied with a chuckle.

To completely describe Wanda's powers is nearly impossible. I put it simply; she controls "chaos magic", meaning she can pretty much do what ever the hell she pleases. Thank god she's not insane.

The sun was setting over the city as I let this witchy girl drag me around block after block.

"I need to go talk to the store manager, can you wait out here for a few seconds?" She asked and before I even got a chance to refute I was cut off.

"Great thanks! I won't be long I promise." And suddenly I was standing all by myself in a par of town I had never been to.

"Well this is fantastic. Why even bring me out if I'm just gonna stand out in the cold?" I muttered as I sat down on a bench with a huff.

I decided to make a game out of my waiting and started to count how many mutants passed by, either in a car or on foot. It proved to be mildly entertaining and I even managed to count twenty four mutants (well if you can count a soon to be born infant and four kids with latent powers as a whole) that was until one mutant caught my eye. He was bustling quickly through the people that walked along the street, constantly glancing over his shoulder in a jumpy way. His hood was up and it covered his face but I still could read him. My powers didn't suck that bad.

I stood quickly and danced my way across the street, missing cars by only millimeters.

"Chris!" I shouted trying to get his attention now that I had made it to the opposite side. "Hey!- Muse!" He must have heard me because he paused for a moment to look for the person who was calling his name.

"Josie?" He asked with bewilderment. I bounced on my toes, excited to see him. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing" I chirped beaming, "how did you get out?" I asked, my jovial demeanor switching in an instant. I stood more rigidly and less bouncy.

"Riot" he said in a low vice. I felt my stomach deflate like a balloon.

"How many got out?"

"A little more than half."

"Where are they now?" I asked feeling my hopes rise ever so slightly.

"If you're asking about Lorna, yeah she got out" I felt my knees want to give out upon hearing this, "come on, I'll take you too her" Chris began, but I stopped him.

"Hang on, I was waiting for a friend. Give me two seconds." With that, I ninja-ed my way back across the street and barged into the store Wanda was in.

I saw them pause their conversation and look at me. I did a quick read on the woman who she spoke to. Her nam was Lara King and she was a mutant with powers of deception. At the moment she was portraying herself as just some lady who inherited an old antique shop from her grandfather. She knew Wanda only from previous business encounters. Lara could change the way people saw her. It was kind of impressive.

"You really don't have any patience, do you?" Wanda asked giving me a look but I ignored it.

"It's about Lorna"

The annoyed expression slid off of her face, her eyes becoming wide.

"Excuse me, I have to go" she apologized to to woman before dragging me out with her. "What's going on Josephine? I leave you for six minuets and you suddenly find your sister?"

"No... I found him." I said pointing to Chris.

I seriously gotta stop crossing this stupid street. Mostly because it's illegal and secondly cause I'm probably gonna end up getting smushed.

"Unless your sister miraculously turned into a young adult male I don't see how this helps." Wanda complained as we dashed across the street.

"He was where I was" I said quietly, "plus he told me she got out too. Isn't that right Chris?" I said brightly, stopping in front of my medicinal friend.

He looked rather awkward being thrust into meeting someone new, but he was just gonna have to get over it for now.

"Um... yeah, everybody took up refuge about two blocks that way" He said jerking his thumb behind him in the original direction he was heading.

As we walked through town Wanda interrupted the air-chilled silence, "So why here? I mean why hideout in the city when the school's so close by?"

Chris shrugged, "It was kind of Lorna's idea, to stay here that is. And Tori wouldn't let us go to the institute."

"What, why?" I asked becoming genuinely confused. "The school is pretty much the only safe place in the country at this point."

"Why don't you ask her yourself" he said in a really cliché manner when we had stopped in front of an apartment that was wedged in between a market and a deli. It rather reminded me of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place in a way.

Chris held the heavy wooden door open for us and I was suddenly blasted by warm air and the sounds of people chattering about the house like birds and kids running upstairs. I got that familiar and unpleasant dizzying buzz in my head that I get when I am around a densely populated area.

When I finally cleared my head enough to see, I noticed that it even looked like the fictional home of the so-called "notorious mass murderer." I half expected to see a grumbling house elf waddle across the hall.

"Well this is homey" I commented, actually impressed.

"Christopher?" Someone called out from what I assumed was the den and soon a head poked out from around the corner. She was a pretty girl with dark earthy skin and and round expressive eyes. Her ebony hair was tied up into a knot and she wore a simple scarlet sweater with jeans.

I tilted my head as information about this girl flashed in front on my eyes. Her name is Cecilia Reyes and she was born into a poor family in a bad neighborhood. When she was just six years old, she witnessed her dad get gunned down and killed for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I instantly threw a barrier up in my mind when I read this. I wasn't particularly in the mood to watch that or even get little snippets like I normally did when reading someone's past (I would get images of people when they were younger or places they've been. Ya know, that sort of thing) Cecelia had held him in her arms as he died. She had then made a vow that one day she would do something about death. Reading her brother's science textbooks that night, she knew that she wanted to become a doctor so that she could help other people. Thanks to her stubbornness, Cecilia spent nineteen years studying and made her way out of her poor neighborhood and went to medical school, eventually becoming an intern doing her residency at Our Mother of Mercy Hospital in the Bronx - all the while keeping her mutant powers a secret up until recently when she was evicted from her home and fired from her job. I found that I rather liked this girl. Her resilience after loosing her father, issues of race and now issues of mutation never really stopped her from wanting to help and heal all kinds of people.

As for her mutation; Cecilia can generate a psioplasmic bio-field force field. It can protect her from danger, but she does feel the impact of blows. A pretty neat mutation if you ask me.

"You brought friends" She said with surprise, but not hostility.

"Well blondie's a friend, the redhead just kinda showed up." Chris replied earning a jab in the ribs form me.

We soon joined a crowed yet jovial group in the living room. Every surface that could hold a persons weight was harnessed as a seat. The warm conversations and constant talk stopped abruptly when people started to notice that two newcomers had entered the room.

There was a long silence as I looked around the room, sending small smiles to the people that I knew.

"And what the hell do you think you're doing back?" An icy voice snapped.

"Tori" Chris warned in a low voice. Cecilia put her hand on his arm in reassurance.

My stomach dropped when I made eye contact with her. I saw anger, hurt and betrayal in her eyes as she made her way to stand a few feet in front of me.

"What did you expect me to do?" I said helplessly. She was furious at me because I left them all behind.

"I expected you to not leave us in that shit hole." She spat "you left- You don't get to come back."

"I didn't have a choice-"

"Don't. Don't you dare play that card Josie, cause I know it's just a bunch of bullshit."

Wanda was starting to get real tense and anxious next to me. I knew she had always been antsy around malice.

"If you thought I wasn't coming back, then I'm sorry to say you don't know me at all" I said staring to get a little angry, myself.

"What too you so long then? You made us wait"

"Tori, please... I would never just up and leave."

I saw something snap in Tori's eyes, "thats exactly what you did! Because of you, I lost my best frie-" she had her arm raised as if to punch me. I winced not wanting to fight my friend, but the impact never came.

Wanda had flown Tori across the room in a flash of red light and a tiny gust of air. In a split second she had her held up against a wall a good three feet off the ground.

"Wanda stop!" I shouted.

It was almost as if she had done it subconsciously. The look of terror on her face was evident and heart breaking. She set Tori down gently with shaking hands.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry" she whispered, her wide eyes as she watched Cecelia go over to help Tori up.

"Come on, I'll take you guys upstairs" Chris said quietly tugging on my arm.

I followed him without a word and took two stairs at a time, trying to get away from the whole situation as fast as I could.

Chris walked down a hall and stopped at a semi-shut door, knocking with two fingers.

"Lorna? Is it okay if I come in?" I head an indistinguishable reply that was muffled by the door. Chris must have heard it alright because he opened her door a little bit farther for us to walk through.

"You have a guest." He said when she hadn't looked up from the book that was in her hands.

I gasped when I saw her. She didn't look like my sister anymore. She looked older and sadder, but the most shocking thing was that her hair was no longer a light brown but a bright light green.

"Oh Lorna." I breathed as she looked up to meet my gaze.

A/N: happy thanksgiving folks! I hope you liked this super long chapter!

Yay! Lorna's back! I am staring to find that Josie has to keep everybody sane now-a-days... it's gonna be fun to see where it goes!

Oh, and I just want to remind you that every character besides Josie, Tori, Rachel and mike are actual characters from the comics!

Question of the day: What are you thankful for this year?

Me: My parents. As I'm getting older (I turn 18 in exactly 1 month 12/26) I'm starting to realize how much they do and care for me. I think teens often forget this

Love you guys!

-Em


	24. Chapter 24 More Than a Friend

My little sister's face absolutely lit up when she saw me. She must not have heard my comment. Her book was instantly forgotten and I was soon being engulfed in an enormous hug.

"I told you." Lorna said to Chris triumphantly as soon as I let her go, "I told him that you'd come" she said to me now.

"You, my dear, have a lot to tell me about, don't you?" I said in a light manner.

Wanda had followed Chris into the hall to tell him we'd be going soon and I nodded a thanks to her as she did.

"It's really complicated" Lorna replied miserably and I tutted, smoothing out her emerald hair.

"You don't have to talk about it if it's that bad okay?" I told her quietly as she wedged her self under my arm next to me.

"How about we get out of here?" I suggested and I felt her nod against my coat.

At the door, I heard Wanda still apologizing for earlier to Chris and I sighed. I gave my medicinal friend a hug. "Take it easy man, you know where I should be if you need anything."

"Likewise."

Lorna had put her hair up and in a hat to hide it from prying eyes.

"You know, I think green really suits you" I said nudging her after I noticed the silence that surrounded the three of us as we made our way back to the school. The whole walk would take a good thirty minuets so I figured silence would really make it awful.

"I'm just some freak now" she muttered, not meeting my gaze.

"And what does that make me?" I scoffed, pretending to be enormously offended.

"I'm serious Josie" she whined "and you don't even look like a mutant, you look normal."

"What about Peter?" I retorted in good humor, "his hair is freaky-old-guy colored" this made her laugh and it earned a much needed smile from Wanda.

"See? just because you've got physical mutation doesn't mean that you're any worse than any other mutant. I mean wait till you meet Warren, that kid literally has wings."

"Really?" I could see her attitude about the whole subject rising.

"You bet he does. That's why we all call him Angel."

"What do they call you?" Lorna asked suddenly.

"I don't know, I've been too busy looking for you to get a cool nickname." I said sticking my tongue out at her earning another giggle.

"Can I get one?" She asked brightly.

I paused for a moment as we were walking. Realizing that I didn't even know what her mutation was, let alone that she was a mutant until she was taken.

It's not that I couldn't read her, it's just that I never did. I always just assumed that I knew her well enough because she was (or I thought she was) my sister.

"Well what can you do?" Wanda piped up.

"I can control magnets and metal and stuff" she shrugged, walking beside Wanda now.

It felt like someone dumped a bucket of ice water into my stomach. I had been denying what I had seen in the mind and memories of Erik but I couldn't ignore it now. That man's name hadn't been Erik Lensherr when he was born it was Max Eisenhardt, the name of the man who I had seen in my mothers past. It made my stomach twist knowing that the two people that walked slightly in front of me on the two-person path that let up to the mansion were biologically siblings but neither of them knew it.

I was looking at my feet and a chip in the tile floor as I sat on the windowsill of the fourth floor, waiting for the door to open.

Lorna was sitting on the opposite side of the hall with her nose buried in the book that she had been carrying.

Peter eventually came out of the room looking absolutely defeated and I could hear Wanda crying from inside. I looked up from the chip on the tile to see his exhausted expression.

I silently stood up, pulling my sweater tighter to me before wrapping my arms around his neck. His slid around my waist. We stood there.

"Why does everything have to be so complicated?" He sighed.

"Because where would the fun be if it wasn't?" I chuckled.

"So how did Elpheba take the news?" I hit his shoulder and let go of him only to glare.

"It's her hair that's green genius, and she took it better than I thought she would. He must have told her something while she was still there."

Peter flinched slightly at the mention of his father. I frowned glancing down at her, her nose still buried in that book. She either didn't hear us or she pretended not to.

Peter went to go sit next to her, pulling the book from her grasp. "So whatcha reading?" He asked.

"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" she said, yanking it back.

Peter paused putting on an absolutely baffled face. "Isn't that the one about a bunch of small portly people with big hairy feet living in holes in the ground?" This made her giggle.

"No! That's The Hobbit!" She said laughing and shaking her head, her emerald hair glittering in the fading light.

I smiled as I watched them. Lorna always had a short but kind temper with Peter. He pretended to be slower around her and she bought it most of the time. It actually surprised me that he liked her so much. Wanda, Lorna and myself have always been the only people in the world who he could stand. One of those people (well technically two) are his sister so he kinda has to tolerate her now.

They went on like this for at least ten minutes. Peter kept on trying to describe the works of Tolkien, while Lorna looked about ready to hit him upside the head with her book.

"Josephine!" I heard someone say brightly behind me, "you never said your sister would be coming to the school!" I turned around to see a bright and bubbly Jean.

I frowned, "how do you know she's my sister?" I questioned curiously.

"Seriously? It's kinda obvious: you two have the same face and eye shape also she looks the right age to be her."

"Well she should look like Peter just as much as she looks like me then" I said tilting my head.

"Whoa, wait a minute. all you three-"

"Four" I corrected.

"-all you four are siblings?"

I shook my head, "no, Lorna is only my half-sister. Peter and Wanda are Lorna's half siblings as well... they share the same father. Lorna and I only have the same mother."

Jean looked absolutely relieved, "okay good. For a second there I thought you were dating your brother" she said, placing her hand over her heart.

I smacked her arm, earning a squeak. "Would you stop! We're not dating!" I said, staring to feel tiered of having to correct her all the time on this subject.

There was a silence between us as I watched Peter an Lorna and Jean stood there thinking, "You know there's a bet going around the school about you two" she said turning to look at me again.

I groaned, "why. Why me, huh? What did I ever do to deserve this" I said pinching the bridge of my nose.

Jean only laughed "oh come on, stop being so stubborn and live a little, darling! There's only so much time we're given on this earth so why live it and possibly regret things later on?"

I stood there, watching her with narrowed eyes. "-You bet that we're together didn't you?"

She only shrugged and skipped off.

I sighed and leaned against the wall. Maybe Jean was right. Even if she was just saying all of that just to win a bet she still did have a point. I needed to stop lying to myself and accept the facts.

Maybe Peter was more than a friend.

A/N: merry Christmas! (Or Hanukkah or winter solstice or Kwanzaa or festivius) trying to be inclusive here...

Anywho! It's Christmas Eve and all through my house not a creature is stirring, not even a mouse. ? My birthday is on the 26th (18 woohoo!) so I'll be a bit absent but I love you all!

Question of the day: who's your favorite assassin? (I.E: Black Widow, Deadpool, Gamora, Winter Soldier(NOT BUCKY I'm talking about EVIL BUCKY) Elektra, Domino... ect)

My favorite is either The Black Widow or Domino ?


	25. Chapter 25: What I Did Wrong

I know that this picture has no meaning okay?

It just really makes me happy ❤

Oh and this chapter is a two-parter

People loved my sister. In the few days after she had joined the school people took to her like moths to a light.

I had fallen back into classes in those few couple of days, but everything seemed wrong. It was like someone had moved one thing around, but I just couldn't place my finger on what it was or where it went l. I noticed I was quieter now; I only spoke to Jean, Sage and Warren during class and even then, they usually came to me first.

I couldn't stop thinking about Tori. From what she told me, it had sounded like David was dead and there was something I could have done to prevent it. This thought was consuming me. It like a physical pain that was gnawing at the front of my mind like a parasite and I couldn't stand it. I wasn't a murderer, but is it still considered murder if it's not done by your hand and it wasn't intentional at all?

I also didn't quite understand what was going on in the world right now. I did know that mutants were going back into hiding, that we were at risk for a mutant registration act, we were being abducted, experimented on, discriminated against and facing so much hate you could feel it hanging around in the air if you stepped outside. And to be honest, I also didn't know who was on each side. I didn't know if there even were sides. I always just figured it was Xavier's people against everybody else, but maybe I was wrong. That does tend to be the case a lot these days.

One night in the beginning of January after saying goodnight to my sister, I sat in my room with only my little bedside lamp lighting the room. Snow was falling outside my window, undisturbed by any wind. It fell in quiet and puffy clusters making only a soft tinkling noise upon the glass.

There was a knock at my door. I tried shouting that no one was in but Sage and Warren had muscled their way into my sanctuary and they had practically forced me to talk to them.

"About what?" I asked with a deep sigh.

"About anything" Sage said in a uncharacteristically kind tone.

I was tempted to just talk about something stupid like Burmese pythons and call it a day, but I also knew that it's not good to keep things to yourself too often. Keeping in all the things that are swimming around in your mind can lead to an overflow of, well, everything.

"-But how did they know that Lorna was a mutant before she even acquired her powers?" Sage asked while she was laying at the end of my bed playing with the hem to my worn comforter. I had told them the story of everything that happened.

"I guess I just assumed that they didn't know... I figured that they took her because she was Erik's daughter."

"Do you think he'll come after her again?" Warren asked from my desk chair, leaning back at a dangerous angle.

I shrugged, "I don't really know. I mean, all three of his kids are here in the same town. So one would guess he might make an appearance sooner or later."

"But why is he doing it?"

"Is this gonna be twenty questions or an actual conversation?" I sighed giving Warren a look. I didn't want to admit that I had no clue. I try not to look into the motives of crazy people. He didn't want Charles dead, but that was the whole reason he said as to why he pulled myself and a few others aside. I didn't know if they were allowed to leave like I was.

There was a silence among us for a few moments until Warren spoke up again, "but seriously though, why did he do it?"

"I don't know okay?" I whined, rubbing my eyes just so I didn't have to look at him at that moment.

We all looked up at the sound of someone knocking at my door. The familiar face of Mrs. Downing poked through. I had forgotten that dorm checks were a thing.

"Curfew!" She reminded us in a singsong voice.

Sage let out a melodramatic sigh "but it's not even ten yet" she groaned. This reaction genuinely surprised me. It was so unlike her usual personality. I knew that she used to be in the espionage business before joining us here, but she must put on different masks for a lot of people if Mrs Downing didn't look or as fazed by Sage's reaction.

"If I see you tired tomorrow, I'm checking your room first for a week" the elderly woman said. "And the same goes for the rest of you" she added pointing a finger at Warren and me.

Sage grinned at her, "thank you!" she chirped.

"Since when are you two best buds?" I asked after the door was shut.

Sage shrugged, picking at her nail "must be a hidden talent of mine."

Warren perked up at her words "speaking of which, Josie, what the hell even is your mutation exactly? I don't think you've ever told anybody."

Shit. That's not true is it? How on earth have I gotten this far and not have told the few friends I had managed to make friends with about what my stupid and underwhelming powers were.

"I've told people" I defended, even though I wasn't exactly sure if it was true.

"Jean doesn't count Josephine. The only reason I know, is because of what I can do" Sage added.

She was right, Jean did know, and even then the whole process of telling her was super awkward. The whole: "hey so I totally know everything about you including your past thoughts, actions, fears, and mistakes dating from the day you were born" isn't exactly a friend keeping conversation. People tend get weirded out or they don't trust that I keep things private.

Better late than never I suppose. "Well Warren buddy, I know everything there is to know about everyone in the world just by looking at them. Sometimes I even feel how they felt during certain memories and other times I can watch what happened like I was just a bystander. oh and some times I'm empathic if I focus hard enough."

Warren sat there in silence, nodding his head as he tried to comprehend it, "so... you know everything about me then?"

"Well that's the basic idea" I shrugged.

"Okay then... what's my middle name?"

"Kenneth."

"Where was I born?"

"Centerport."

"What triggered my mutation?"

"Nothing, sometimes they just manifest with no outside cause." I said with a shrug.

"Okay. Tell me something nobody else would know."

I raised my eyebrows, "you sure about that?"

"Absolutely."

"Candace Southern" was all I said, but it was enough to shut him up. "Hey man, you asked for it" I said in defense after he said nothing.

"Well, on a different but earlier subject" Sage said quickly, "I think you need to go back and talk to that girl, Tammy-"

"It's Tori, but yeah, I think you're right" I said rubbing my face, a little stressed out but glad we were back to the original subject.

Sage only smirked at me, "I know I am."

Peter chuckled beside me as we walked down the sidewalk.

"What?" I demanded giving him a sideways glance.

"You're nose is red. It's cute."

"Of course my nose is red, it's freaking cold out here!" I said with exasperation as I shoved my hands deeper into the pockets of my coat and nestled my face further into my scarf, trying to avoid frostbite.

I knocked at a door that I prayed was the right one because my memory tends to be crap sometimes.

"You sure this is the right place?" Peter asked behind me.

"Nope" I said biting my lip. As I waited, I hopped on the spot trying to stay warm.

To my utter relief, Cecilia opened the door with a dish towel in her hand.

"Josephine!" She exclaimed looking a little relieved too and she tossed the towel onto her shoulder and came to pull me into a hug. "You had me worried, we usually don't get people at the door."

"Why, did something happen?" I asked.

"No" she shook her head. "We're all just a bit jumpy I guess... Come in its cold out here" she said hurriedly, opening the door wider "what brings you back? Is Lorna alright?"

"She's doing wonderfully. I just needed to talk to Tori, is she in?" I added nervously as I bounced on my toes.

Cecilia visibly deflated at the mention of Tori, "she's up on the top floor, fourth room on the left. Trying to organize to rent out the place next door for more space."

I thanked her and started making my way up the stairs, "this place is dreary as hell" Peter said and I elbowed him.

"Be nice, at least it's a place it stay." I said chuckling as we came upon the fourth landing. A couple of people brushed past us sending wearily looks as we passed.

I looked at the slightly ajar door which they had left from. My steps were tentative and I was starting to think the whole coming back was not such a good idea. Softly tapping my knuckles against the withered wood, my heart faltered in it's rapid beat when I saw Tori sitting at a desk, shuffling through stacks of documents. She looked up to see who had signaled at the door. She didn't look as angry as she was during our previous encounter, but I could still see her brain immediately associate my face with a negative connotation.

She dismissively returned to her paper shuffling, "did Lorna forget something?"

"No" I said feeling like I could finally breath now that she said something. With my newly gained confidence I walked over to sit on the edge of a seat near by. "I just wanted to talk is all."

"And you had to bring your hype man with you just to get out a couple of sentences?" she scoffed. "Did that scarlet-powered witch decide to stay home today?"

I felt Peter's mood shift slightly. "look, I just feel like I didn't get to say all the things that I wanted to the other day. And I don't want you to hate me because there aren't many mutants in the world to begin with so to fight amongst ourselves like this, especially since we're already divided, can't lead to anything good.

"What?... What could you possibly say that hasn't already been said? The conversation was over Josephine. I thought you knew that."

"You know what? No." I had to really focus on not losing my cool. "I don't know. I don't know anything about what happened at that place, I don't know why they let me go, I don't know what's happening now, I especially don't know how to make you see that I'm not a hero. I was scared and confused back there. I panicked and left and you know what? It haunted me everyday since then. So what do you want me to do Tori? Please tell me because the more people assume I know what I'm doing and they let me handle it on my own, the more I'm just fucking everything up."

Tori sat in silence. Her eyes bored into mine in a nonthreatening and contemplative way. I just looked back, pleading with her.

"I'm not going to say that I forgive you because I probably never will, but I suppose you're right. It isn't good to be divided." I smiled as I stood back up. "You're on our side if you were wondering by the way" she added as she started shuffling papers again.

"Which side is that again?" I asked, unsure.

"The one that's not trying to take over the world, just improve the lives of the people in it."

"Couldn't that be the same thing if you think about it?" Peter asked suddenly, reminding me he was there.

"Yeah, but only if you're one of the people who over thinks everything or you are perpetually stuck in the seventh grade" Tori retorted.

"I think you fall under both of those Pete." I had to tell my friend grimly as I placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

**to be continued I just got super lazy and didn't want too long of a chapter**

A/N: sorry for the wait I got super sick!

I'm actually really happy about this chapter! I have access to a desktop so it's really been helping me write.

Question of the day: if you could control any of the four elements (fire, earth, water or wind) which would you chose?

I would chose either water or wind cause of all the possibilities there are to it


	26. Chapter 26: What I Did Wrong Part 2

"My priorities lie with the people here Josephine. I'm not just going to ask them to up and move again when that's all we've been doing for weeks now" Tori said, attempting to stress to me the importance of why staying here was safer that at the school.

"That's not what she was implying" Peter said, defending me. "All she was doing was suggesting that you move the younger kids. First of all so they could potentially get some kind of education and secondly, so they could be better protected."

"You think they're not safe here?" Tori asked bitterly.

"No I don't" Peter replied bluntly.

"Look, the school is an established place. If people come after it it'll be more publicized and it could potentially be more impactful for those who hear about it" I tried to reason.

"Because humans don't give a damn unless there are kids involved."

"Just come by the school with us. Just once, that's all I'm asking, please" I pleaded. She seemed to be considering me quite intensely. She chewed the bottom of her lip out of habit.

She let out a flippant breath, "fine I'll take a group over, but give me ten minutes."

I agreed and we all left the room, but once we hit the bottom of the stairs Tori went in an opposite direction and Peter and I ended up just sitting on the old creaky steps as we waited.

"That was some good persuasion out of you" Peter said nudging my shoulder.

I rolled my eyes, "you make it sound like I'm some secret agent."

"Who says you're not?"

"Me" I said shortly.

We fell into silence as he ran out of things to say and my mind started turning back to what I had thought about earlier, about how much I didn't know. Just starting to think about it again started to make me panic. I'm not supposed to be this helpless or lost, I'm supposed to know everything that's going on and how to fix it. I just needed to talk to people, to get their story and figure everything out that way. But then again, this whole issue is not about me. I'm not the focal point of the story, not the chosen one. I'm just me... and that kinda sucks.

"What are you thinking about?" Peter asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I could hear voices coming from another room. One of them sounded concerned, but the other was stern, harsh almost. I tried to listen to what they were saying, but I couldn't quite make it out. The old and thickly built walls absorbed too much of the noise.

"Too much" I sighed, answering Peter's question.

"Later?"

"Later."

"You know I'm gonna hold you too it" he said poking my side making me squeak and swat his hand, sending him a warning look.

Peter suddenly looked up which made me drop my angry stare and look up too. I hadn't noticed the talking from the other room had stopped. Tori had appeared in front of us now with Cecilia, Chris and one other person who was new to me.

Her name is Sarah, but she prefers Marrow, and to be completely honest, she's got the most interesting physical mutation I've ever seen. She has a mutation that causes her bones to grow out of her skin in such a way that allows them to be removed from her body, providing her with potential knives and clubs as well as body armor. It's not spread all over her body, just mostly along her shoulder blades, upper torso just below her chest and major joints like her elbows and knees.

As a child Marrow was taken in by the Morlocks, a band of grotesque-looking mutants who hid in tunnels beneath New York City. They took her in because of the way that she looks and this would forever alter her self esteem. Being told all her life that she was ugly or a monster doesn't tend to be kind to the psyche. I didn't find her all that horrifying. Even though I hadn't met many mutants with physical mutations, because they are more rare, it doesn't mean that I find this one to be shocking. I think what she has is beautiful in a way.

A/N: I know that this one is super short but I figured cutting it off here would help give a good leeway (SP?) into the next chapter. I love you all to pieces! thanks for 20k reads!

QUESTION OF THE DAY: would you trust robots if they suddenly became sentient (think I Robot. The book more than the movie)

MY ANSWER: personally, I would. Yeah, I know not all of them are gonna be like Sunny, but there isn't always gonna be one evil one thats controlling all the rest.

It's a weird question, I know, but it's been floating in my mind.


	27. Chapter 27: misinformation

I knew something was amiss as soon as I saw the the hedge filed-in fence and gates of the school. I stopped dead in my tracks holding my arm out slightly to stop those who were behind me.

"What's up?" Peter asked.

"Something's not right" I said.

"What is that something?"

I didn't really answer because I didn't know. I could feel too much emotion radiating from that place like heat from a furnace. I could practically see the swirls in the pale winter's sky from it.

As I turned the corner I heard people talking. It sounded like a large group and I heard radios being used. Then I got to see what exactly was going on; the scene wasn't exactly negative or anything that might seem like chaos, it was quite the opposite actually.

There were tons of people I didn't recognize gathered outside and strewn about. Some had blankets draped over their shoulders with what seemed like policemen talking with them, others were bundled in layers silently sitting by themselves, but all of them seemed to be not very affected by the cold.

What was strange about these "policemen" was that their uniforms were a bit off, they weren't the normal standard issue.

"What is this, some kind of Red Cross drive?" Cecelia asked. She was right, without further inquiry that was what it looked like.

I spotted Jean talking to one of the suspicious police-impostors with a clipboard in her hand so I made a beeline in her direction. Peter and Tori tagged along.

"What's going on?" I asked once I was standing next to my fiery-haired-friend.

"Oh good, Josie you're back. We needed you to see if you recognize any of these people. If any of you do" Jean added to the two behind me, raising the clipboard up to my line of sight.

"Whoa, hang on here. Not until I know what happened. Who the hell are all of these people?" I said as I pushed her arm down.

"The ones who are out here and not in uniform are a bunch of refugees and those in uniform are from some agency helping us out. Now look at the list" she said impatiently raising the board up toy face again.

I snatched the list with a huff and skimmed over the roughly written names. None of them stood out to me. "Sorry, no" I said still looking through the list, flipping to the back page. "I don't really remember anyone's last name if I met them. I meet too many people to remember that kind of thing." I handed the list to Tori in hopes that she kept tabs on surnames better than I did.

"Are you sure? None of them look familiar? Because at least a third of them said they knew your name" Jean said with a frown.

"What?"

"Yeah, most of them said that they remembered you from the safehouse."

Tori handed back the clipboard, "Some of the names look kinda familiar, but I'm much better with faces."

"Well then I would go talk to agent O'Grady, he's the one to talk to" Jean said.

I nodded and just as we were about to head in the direction Jean had pointed us I was stopped with an arm on my shoulder. Peter noticed my pause and looked back. I gestured for him to follow Tori but he refused, earning a glare from me.

I moved my gaze from Peter to look at Jean, the one who had stopped me. She let out a tremendous sigh and sank down to sit on the edge of the fountain that stood next to us.

"A lot has happened in the past few hours. Sorry for not warning you about it."

"You knew this was going to happen?" I asked with a baffled look.

There was a conflicted look in her eye and she chewed on her lip "well you've been gone for awhile and we all decided-"

"Who is this 'we'?" I interjected. I realized it was kinda rude but i was too focused on the fact that this wasnt some unplanned incident.

"Everyone who was in our training group; Sage, Warren, Scott..." Jean trailed off. my face fell as she listed off names. Her brow pushed together as she saw my expression change. I guess it'd be safe to say I was a little hurt by this all, but at the same time I understand why they did it.

"Classes will be suspended for the time being. This place'll be a place to stay" she explained gesturing to the institute behind her. "Look I'm sorry no one told you. I really am. If it helps, I did try to get them to include you" the corner of her mouth was turned downward in a sympathetic frown.

I shrugged in a nonchalant manner "it's fine. I get why it happened."

Jean smiled at me looking relieved. She tends to be the kind of person who hates letting anyone down or to see anybody distressed.

Her attitude shifted immediately into her usual upbeat and collected self. "You guys wouldn't mind helping around a bit would you?" She said looking between Peter and I. "We're a bit short handed at the moment."

I ended up getting stuck with the organization of people to rooms in the school. I had to take names down and make lists of families so that they would be more likely to end up together. the fact that I can read people might not have been such a good thing for some people because I was able to catch a few people who were lying about being related or married. Even though I felt awful for forcing some couples apart, I really had no choice in the matter because of the way that the assigning process was planned out. I had to group families to a room and usually there was one or two bends left so they got filled by single people.

Peter had been tasked with assisting the government officers with anything that they were doing, but in no less than seven minutes he ended up plopping down on the cheap fold able chair next to me with a tremendous sigh. A ticked-off looking Sage accompanied him.

"Is this yours?" She asked with a heated voice, gesturing towards Peter.

I mouthed her an apology before turned my attention towards him. "What did you do?" I asked as I crossed out the last open room on the fourth floor.

He swiped the pen from my hand and began to spin on the table. I snatched it back hitting him in the arm with it. "I don't like authority" he grumbled.

I chuckled "no, you just have highly selective listening."

"Huh?" he said earning him another punch in the arm frm me.

"Not funny. These people are here to help us Peter"

"Are you serious? Do you even know where they're from?" He asked and I shook my head. "SHIELD they are from SHIELD Josie" he said it like this was some big deal and that I should obviously know that SHIELD means something negative.

"So? And before you ask, yes I know who they are" I added quickly.

"They used to be called the Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage, Law-Enforcement Division. Espionage and law enforcement... When does that mean helping out a bunch of people who don't have a home?"

"Okay, the key words that you said just then were 'used to' that means that it's not what it's called any more. It's Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division now." I said. "And I thought I was the cynical one" I added quietly.

"I still think the whole thing is mendacious" he said settling in his seat with is arms crossed.

"Lorna taught you that word, didn't she?"

Peter paused "...yeah."

I sighed "why don't you go do something productive and go find her, I haven't seen her around."

He gave me a quick salute and disappeared with a whoosh of air.

A/N: hey guys I'm so sorry I haven't updated in forever. I've been at rehearsal until eight and as a senior I have a shitload of homework and scholarship stuff I gotta do.

I'm still posting so don't worry!

Question of the day: what's your stars sign?

Mine: I'm technically a cusp baby (born in a transition time. Dec 26th ?) So I'm between Sagittarius and Capricorn. I identify more as a Sagittarius though... I hate being called a Capricorn cause it's just not me.

Anyway, Love you all!


	28. Chapter 28: the cost of reality

Peter had found Lorna sitting with a young girl. I recognized her as Rachel, the girl from the camp. Lorna was reading to her out of an old beaten up copy of Alice in Wonderland as they sat on the white love seat in the foyer. Rachel was smiling and laughing at the different voices Lorna used.

"Thank you Peter" I said as I watched them.

He shrugged "it's not like she was hiding" he said. " I found yours, now you go find mine" Peter said in my ear before placing a quick kiss on my cheek. He decided to go join Lorna and Rachel. I stayed there for a few more minutes as I saw him take up the part and read for the mad hatter.

With a smile on my face, I rolled my eyes and went to go find Jean to tell her I'd have to be back later so I could finish helping out. I just needed to find Wanda first.

"No you're fine!" Jean assured me as she waved her hand dismissively.

"Are you sure?" I asked chewing on my lip.

"Absolutely! Most of the people here have been sorted out and we're not expecting any more today. Thank you for helping with that by the way" she added before shooing me away.

I knew Wanda was somewhere at the school because that's where I left her. I wandered for almost two hours, poking my head into every room I came across.

At one point I passed Warren in the hall "hey have you seen Wanda anywhere?" I asked.

"Who's Wanda?" He asked looking confused.

"Never mind" I sighed shaking my head. I had been wandering for awhile now and I decided to just give up and figure that she had gone home and I retreated to my room.

It turns out that the one room I hadn't checked out yet was my own.

I shut my door softly, and stood there for a moment rubbing my eyes with a sigh. I noticed something was off when I felt the emotions coming from a corner.

I got a look at my lost friend. Never before had I seen a person look more broken and scared in my life. She was curled up in a ball next to the foot of her bed. She had a sallow look to her face which seemed to have dried of tears a long time ago. Her slightly red eyes stared blankly down and to the right, transfixed on one of the bed posts.

I sank to my knees next to her and I placed my hand on hers, trying to gain her attention.

"Wanda-" I said gently yet loudly enough to attract her grey gaze up to me. It was hard to keep the strain from breaking through my voice as I both saw and felt the emotions coming from this girl.

"Wanda what happened?"

I was relieved when I got even the smallest of responses from her.

Her face scrunched up and she shut her eyes tightly, as if new tears were erupting to the surface. Although it was a negative reaction, I was just grateful that she hadn't closed the world off and that she was still listening to me.

"Sweetheart, I only read the past, I can't quite read minds" I said delicately, stroking the side of her hair as I'd done when we were younger and she had come to me in tears.

"There's too much" she managed to whisper through a thick voice and a battle of emotions that occupied her face.

Although the pronoun game usually irritated me to no end, in this instance I could understand her lack of words.

"Too much of what?" I asked softly, trying to keep her talking to me.

"Everything."

My mind raced trying to figure out what she meant by this. The information about this girl that my mutation allowed me to see flicked by so rapidly that I could only catch a few things here and there.

Then it clicked.

She was talking about her mutation. It all made sense too, I just wasn't perceptive enough to see that one of my most dear friends was nearly suffocating in her own mind.

I proceeded to wedge myself next to her and wrap my arms around her like when we were kids. She would come to me crying that kids had teased her or that Peter had been mean. I would just sit there quietly with her. But as years went by I saw less and less of my companion. It felt nice to sit with her again.

"I keep seeing things that aren't real" Wanda finally managed to say after awhile. Her fists balled up and she squeezed her eyes shut again. She snapped her head back in a frustrated, desperate, almost angry manner.

"It's not real Josephine" she pleaded. "It's not real."

"What's not real?" I asked quietly.

"Reality."

"Isn't that what reality is though?... Well, real?" I wasn't trying to be recalcitrant, I was just trying to keep a conversation going and maybe get her to explain some things.

"Nothing is real Josephine" Wanda said in a painful and defeated voice.

I watched as she held out her delicately quaking hand. A mist of swirling red vapor soon formed over it forming what vaguely resembled a teardrop. The red cloud soon evaporated to give way to a small green bird perched atop her finger.

"How-" I began.

"It was always there. you just weren't looking right" she said peering at the bird.

The bird flew to the window sill and Wanda's expression fell once more.

"Is this all because of what happened with Tori?" I questioned. "Because she's already forgiven you."

"That's when it started" she whispered. I was glad to notice that she was gaining some kind of composure. "And forgiveness is not the point, Josephine. when I did that I wasn't seeing the moment I saw the countless outcomes all happening at once. and I panicked."

I stayed silent for a moment before selecting my words "does the professor know?"

"He hates me for it" she whispered as the bird came to perch on her hand. Her fingers curled around it and it disappeared with a small puff of red smoke.

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the delay but I hope you guys like it! I'm really excited to get to explore the psychosis of Wanda because I thought it would be a cool story to follow and maybe dip our toes into the House of M storyline.

Question of the day: when are you going to see the avengers?

I'm seeing it Thursday at seven! ?


	29. Chapter 29: David

The school had completely pulled a 360 by the end of the week. A continuous string of people trickled in from all parts of the country. There was also a group of angry people outside the gates shouting at almost every hour of the day, demanding for the school to be shut down. They had been there for three days now. It started out with only five or six people, but over time it had grown to near thirty. They most likely gained publicity from media outlets. News stations called it "anti-mutant demonstrations" we just all called it hate.

I sat on a leather couch reading one afternoon. The window was open to let in a breeze, but it compromised the quietness of the interior. You could hear every word the people shouted outside. It didn't bother me, but of course I couldn't speak for everyone.

Lorna sat next to me working on a crossword puzzle and Peter was in an armchair just kinda sitting there with his hands folded and his gaze fixed upon the ceiling. As time passed and the shouting from outside never gave up, I noticed Lorna's grip on her pencil tighten. I felt her mood slowly slide towards a tipping point the more that time went by.

"You can always just shut the window, you know" I said eventually.

She slammed down her pencil and let out a tremendous groan as she covered her ears and sat back on the couch. "Why can't they just stop?" She vented. I could feel her almost going a little crazy.

I gave her a lopsided frown and set down my book. I looked to Peter who gave me a small nod and in milliseconds the window was shut.

"Because, to them, what they are doing is right" I said, knowing that it wasn't what she wanted to hear, but it was the truth.

"But we're people too" she said with exasperation, as if she couldn't understand why those people outside didn't realize this fact. "It's not like we can choose our genetics."

"They're just scared" I said with a sigh. "Just remember, there is no such things as good and evil, there is only point of view" I went to put my hand on her shoulder but she shook me off.

"Stop trying to be my mom" she huffed and left the room.

"Ouch" Peter said, still standing after I sat there looking and feeling dazed because Lorna had left so suddenly.

I gave him a look but stood up anyway and went over to where he stood and just wrapped my arms around him. His emotions registered as surprised for just a few milliseconds until he retuned the gesture.

"I just wish things would level out, ya know? Go back to some kind of normalcy." I said into his shirt.

"They will someday, but that just maybe not right now."

I took a step back, my eyes transfixed on the floor. "Have you spoken to Wanda recently?" I asked.

"Should I?"

I nodded "she's got something's going on. I don't know how to help her, I'm barely helping myself right now."

Peter nodded "I guess I've noticed something change in her. What triggered it, do you know?"

"Something I could have prevented, I'm sure."

"Hey" he said suddenly, making me look up. "It's not your job to fix or prevent anything, do you understand me Josephine?"

I shook my head, about to refute his statement when I heard footsteps run down the hall and the shouts that I could hear through the closed glass changed slightly. With my eyebrows pinched together, I stepped quickly into the hall and called out to the person who had ran by.

"Hey, whats going on?" I asked and I relized that it was Scott.

"We got people coming in" he said shortly before turning the corner.

I looked over to Peter "come on" I said pulling his hand with me.

I half ran down the hall and to the main staircase to see people propping the doors open and ushering people in. Peters hand rested on my shoulder in a simple gesture, but I made my way down the rest of the stairs slowly, step-by step until I ended up standing next to Tori and Cecelia who I was surprised to see were still here. We didn't look at each other, we were all scanning the incoming people, looking for people that we recognized.

These refugees didn't seem like the usual that came in. They were battered and beaten up. Cecelia, being the nurse that she was, immediately took a step forward and caught the weight of a woman in her late fourties who was beginning to stumble on what looked like a bad knee. I saw that Jean was one of the people propping the door open and I walked over to her.

"How many are there?" I asked, looking out over the long line of withered and tiered souls.

"We're estimating around twenty" she said.

"Can we room all of those people?"

She shook her head grimly "not by half."

I sighed "we'll make it work, we always do."

I felt someone brush by me, checking my shoulder in the process. I was about to say some rude remark until I saw that it was Tori and that girl was on a serious mission. I squinted into the glaring setting sun and saw her take off running to a person who was in the back if the line. She stopped only to launch herself into that persons arms. They stumbled back, but steadied themselves. The two of them didn't move for what seemed like an eternity and I was just trying to see who it was.

"Well, I'll be damned" I heard Peter say next to my ear and I glanced at him.

"Who is that?" I asked, still trying to squint.

"David, I believe was his name."

"Oh my god" I breathed.

"What?" peter asked.

"He's supposed to be dead."

"what are you talking about."

"Thats why Wanda accidentally hurt Tori, she was just trying to protect me because Tori thought I left them all to die" I whispered.

"Wait, back up, Wanda hurt someone?" He asked with concern.

"She didn't mean it" I said softly, trying to make it sound like it was a small incident because after all, it was.

I heard peter sigh, but he didn't say any more. Eventually the line had moved on and Tori and David were the only two people standing out there just embracing. Behind them people were still shouting, but some had stopped to watch the two. They had a baffled look on their faces, as if their previous expression had slid off it. I saw one young man in his early twenties actually hit his friend on the shoulder, making them stop. I wrapped my arms around my middle and felt unwanted tears threaten to surface as I watched them. The protesting crowd had grown silent for a brief moment, the baffled and curious look had spread to other peoples faces and they all seemed too captivated to move.

"They're stopping" Peter commented "why are they stopping?"

"Love" I whispered, feeling a dumb tear break free. There was just so much relief building up in me. Not just because I wasn't actually responsible fore someones death, but because of the reunion of a couple that I loved dearly. I was relieved that the two halves wrens broken anymore, that Tori may not be as bitter anymore, that there might be some person in this godforsaken school that was actually happy.

"That's cliche" he said and I rolled my eyes and I elbowed his side.

"Come on, let's go get dinner" I said before turning to head back inside but peter had caught my elbow.

"You think they'll stare at us too?" he asked with an upturned corner of his mouth.

I cinched my eyebrows together and tilted my head "what are you talking about?-" and suddenly his lips were pressing against mine. He was always so gentle with me, despite all the teasing over the years and playful banter we sent at each other. I wrapped my arms around his neck, standing up on my toes, leaning into him.

And I suddenly realized, this was where I've always wanted to be.

A/N: hey guys sorry about the delay! hope you liked this chapter cause I sure do! the fuzzy feels are here and it makes me happy!

lots of love- Emily

Question of the Day: dog person or cat person?

Me: I'm a both kind of gal, dogs are companions and clingy (in a good way) but cats are cuddly and independent


	30. Important

Hey guys so I'm gonna get real for a second and say that I'm apologizing now for a delay in updates. I have a chapter halfway done right now, but I have to take a small break.

I was involved in a car accident and I'm fine, just really shaken up. I can't get what happened out of my head and I can't sleep. It replays over and over again.

I'll still be replying to your messages regularly but updates might be slow for awhile.

Lots of love

Em


	31. Chapter 30: Bonfire

I was doubled over with laughter as Warren finished his story about a rather awkward encounter he had at a convenience store with older lady. After dinner a bunch of us gathered outside for a bonfire.

"No way man, that didn't happen" Peter said next to me.

My legs were draped over his lap and I leaned against the arm of the chair that we shared. We weren't the only ones to double up though, Jean and Scott happened to be sharing a seat, as well as Cecelia and Chris. To some it might have seemed resourceful since there weren't nearly enough chairs to go around, but being a psychic who specializes in all things human, I knew what was up. Although, all of them kept to their own little self-conscious bubbles, unlike my self where bubbles don't exist; they're more like suggestions.

"I swear, it's the truth!" Warren said with a grin as he popped a piece of popcorn into his mouth.

We had been joined by not only Jean, Scott and Warren, but also Tori, David (who had been cleared by Cecelia) Sage, Wanda, Cecelia, Chris and Marrow. Tori sat in front of David and his head rested on her shoulder and they just looked so content, it was almost contagious.

the conversation seemed to go stale but Jean managed to save it last minute "Well, I don't think I've met everyone here" she said and a couple of us nodded. "Is it too middle-school-day-campy to ask everyone to introduce themselves?" she asked and I chuckled.

Cecilia spoke up right away "not at all!" she said, brightly "besides I think you're right, I only know two of your names" Warren scoffed and pretended to look rather offended "well I'm sorry for being busy helping people" she said sarcastically, giving Warren a look.

"Well then, hi everyone, I'm Warren, also known as the magnificent angel" I laughed and decided to zone out, seeing as though I knew everyone already, mostly due to my mutation.

"Pretty boring stuff, huh?" Peter asked quietly into my ear and I snapped out of my thoughts and looked at him.

I smiled softly, nodded and fell back against his shoulder "yeah."

"You know everyone, huh?"

"Duh" I said "but it's on a whole new level."

It had gotten to peter and he gave a small wave to everyone "names Pietro, but everyone calls me Peter, cause this is America and thats what they do. I run really fast. I'm also that weirdo's older brother."

"By twelve minutes" Wanda scoffed. It was nice to see her doing better, though she seemed rather zoned except for that moment.

"Like how fast?" Marrow asked, shifting her legs underneath her.

"He can pretty much do what ever the hell he wants- fast" I interupted and Marrow narrowed her eyes skeptically.

"Prove it" she said, crossing her arms.

Peter smirked and the smile that had lingered on my face disappeared when I sensed his emotions change from just happy to happy with a side of mischief.

"Don't you even dare" I said when my legs weren't just moved off to the side, but they were swept up along with the rest of my body and I shut my eyes tightly, holding my breath.

In the blink of an eye I was set down on my feet on what seemed like snow for only a few milliseconds until I was swept up again. Then I was staring into the fire. The world around me was spinning like on a perpetual lazy-susan and I reached out and clung to the nearest thing to me which happened to be Peter's sleeve.

"Thanks for that" I said with sarcasm towards Marrow, she only smiled at me cheekily. "You did _**not**_ have to bring me" I added, narrowing my eyes at Peter.

Peter shrugged and tossed a round object into the air, arching it up high it so Marrow would be sure to catch it. When the item hit her finger tips she hissed and dropped it. "A snowball, Really?"

"What else did you want, a lei?"

"You can run on water?" Jean asked.

"Thats something I'm not quite willing to try" Peter said.

"Happy now Grey? Or do you wanna know our star signs too?" Warren asked.

"Oh come on, lay off her" Tori piped up, sending Warren a look "she was just trying to be nice."

""Sagittarius" I mumbled loud enough for everyone to hear and I got a few snickers. Warren bent down, scooping a bit of the snow from the cement and flicking it my way. I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Really? I would make you out to me a Libra." Scott said with a smile.

"-what are we gonna do" Wanda asked abruptly, making everyone stop.

She was looking into the fire, one arm crossed protectively over her to the opposite shoulder. She was one of us who sat on the ground instead of a chair. The fire made her brown hair turn a deep russet color and it reflected in her eyes.

Tori was the first to respond, "you mean with all the people here?"

"Everything I suppose."

"Well we know that as long as people stay here, they'll be safe" Jean said.

"No they won't."

"Wanda, what did you see?" I asked in a lower tone.

Everyone might not have known what I was talking about, but the only thing that mattered was that Wanda did.

"I'm sorry" Wanda said standing up, "I think I'm gonna call it a night."

When she walked off, I went to go follow her. "Excuse me" I said to everyone. It wasn't hard to catch up to her "Hey, remember what I said, how I can only see so much? You gotta talk to me."

"More mutants are coming." she said as we ascended the stairs.

"Well, yeah. They're coming in everyday."

"No, these people aren't looking for refuge."

I looked into her round eyes, they seemed so dull, like a rock that had tumbled through sand for one too many years.

"Are they with your father?" I whispered.

Wanda shook her head as I opened the door to my room. I tossed the key on to my desk as Wanda sat on the edge of my bed. I went to go sit next to her. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and we just sat in silence for awhile.

"We'll get you through this, I promise" I said.

"We always do" she said quietly.

* * *

A/N: this is really just a filler chapter (obviously) lol next chapter should be fun!

thanks to anonymouscsifan (Guest), WhoPotterAvenge-X Kane and Anonymous (Guest) for commenting (and the kind words) it really and truly means the world to me


	32. Chapter 31: Familiarity

"Josephine" I heard some one say sharply.

Like a fish being dragged from the water, I was raised from my sleep to the sound of Wanda's voice the feeling of her hands shaking my shoulder.

The room was dark and I glanced out the window to be greeted by a still shining moon.

"Wanda, what happened?" I asked groggily.

"They're here" she said in a scared voice, like a child whose afraid of being caught in an act they know they are guilty of.

"Who?" I sighed rubbing my eyes from the sleep that still lingered, but I heard a crash from somewhere next door or down the hall and I instantly became alert.

I threw my blankets off me and stood to look Wanda in the eye. "Are they in the building?" I asked in a serious tone, placing my hand on her shoulder to steady her. I still didn't know who "they" were, but it really didn't really matter right now. What mattered was that if "they" were of ill-intent, I probably had to do something about it.

Wanda nodded, her lip quivering slightly. I took her wrist and pulled her behind me, flying down the hall whilst still in relatively new navy blue pajama pants and a white tank top, only to be stopped about halfway to the staircase. Two woman of different statures and ethnicities were wearing some sort of dark green Kevlar vest and a matching baseball cap passed by me, not even looking my way. They both had some kind of weapon slung around their necks.

I watched them go all the way down to the end off my hall and start banging on doors and dragging drowsy occupants into the hall. The hum of emotions and the clamor of people talking made it hard to decipher what the women were shouting to the crowd at the opposite end of the hall. It must have been some order to move because I had to pull Wanda and myself forward so we wouldn't be completely flattened by the oncoming group of people.

It all felt frighteningly familiar; people shuffled around like cattle, little to no violence to enforce the movement, and far too much confusion to be comfortable with. I pulled off to the side in a little enclave and looked at Wanda with urgency.

"How long have they been here?" I asked in a harsh whisper.

"Twenty minutes" she mumbled.

"And you didn't come find me sooner? Who are they?" I sighed.

Wanda only shrugged "isn't that your thing?" She mumbled.

I looked at her contemplatively for a moment. "-fair enough."

"Lets's go you two" a man said coming out of no where and shoving my shoulder.

"Why?" I asked, instantly going into a defensive mode and staring straight into his eye.

He seemed taken back, as if not expecting any opposition. In the few seconds he paused I managed to read about him just to get a brief knowledge of who they were. They were not government, they were a privatized research group. It made no sense though because these people had guns and were using force. scientists usually aren't grunts.

"Just move" he said gripping my upper arm. In a split second I made a decision that was up for debate on whether or not it was okay.

My fist collided with his jaw and he immediately let go of me, falling back slightly. His lip was busted and blood ran down his chin. While he was down Itook the opportunity to go get lost in the crowd.

I was back to being a lemming, but I tried to push my way through slightly faster to get away from the man. We eventually ended up at the doors to the expansive back yard. The line had stopped, from what it looked like, people were being inspected before they were aloud outside. As we shuffled one-by-one, Wanda still clung to my arm. I had made the decision that if they tried to separate us, I would fight back with everything that I had in me.

The person inspecting the line of people turned out to be like me. He was a telepath of sorts and could read people the same way as I could. The only difference between him and me was that he only saw "importance". He could gauge a combination of mutant ability, willpower and intellectual competence and then go and put a number to it. To him, one meant they were human and not the brightest bulb in the set and a nine was the highest you could be. If you were a mutant you were automatically higher than a three.

"Four, four, five, seven-" he said in a monotonous tone. When the man in front of me was sorted (who was a four) I watched him be pushed in a different direction than the woman (who was a six) in front of him.

He paused for like he did everyone and then rattled off "seven" and I was shoved by a different person in the direction that the woman two places ahead of me went. I paused, pretending to fumble on my footing and heard Wanda be sorted as an eight and was shoved in the direction that I was in. I relaxed a little when I realized I didn't have to fight anybody. besides my hand still was slightly sore from punching that other guy. I pulled Wanda protectively in front of me and went to stand with the small group that included people who had been sorted as a seven or above. I wasn't surprised to see people like Jean, Sage and Scott in this group. The only difference between us and the general masses was that we were in the front and we had guns trained upon us by at least six people.

The eeriest thing about then whole situation was that everything was dead silent. The only voices were those of the people still inside and the mutant boy who sorted people.

My gaze passed over the crowd until I found the woman who seemed to be in charge. She stood in front of us all with her hands behind her back and seemed to be pacing a bit. She looked young, not that much older than me. She had brown hair, glasses and a serious aura about her. Her name was Phoebe Andreva Rigantona, definitely a family name and I sensed something of about her.

She was standing on the wide ledge of the courtyard fountain, so she could see the entire crowd and they could see her. I went to pull up her information, but nothing came up. A sharp high-pitched ringing pain hit my senses and she looked over at me with a glare that could kill. It was as if she knew what I was doing. She blocked me before I got any more information than her name.I figured her to be just another telepath.

Wanda was getting really nervous beside me, she kept shifting her weight on her feet back and forth and trying to see over the head of another person who was infant of her. It got to the point where I gave in and asked her what was the matter cause she was making me nervous.

"Look" she said pointing out towards the woman.

"What about her?" I asked, but then she pulled me so I saw through a gap of people.

The professor was was next to her with a huge man next to him. The man stood with his arms crossed and he was looming over a calm looking professor. The man's name was Peter (or originally Piotr) Rasputin and his strength based mutation explained why he was acting as a guard. What confused me about him was that everything in his past screamed pacifist. This man's temper seemed legendary. He hated his mutation because it made him capable of hurting people and that wasn't his thing exactly. The best way to describe him was as a big teddy bear with a gun he didn't know how to use.

"Think she's got a him brainwashed?" I whispered to Wanda.

"The professor?" she asked, and I hook my head.

"No, his guard."

Wanda nodded "look at his eyes."

She was right; his eyes looked glassy and vacant. I hadn't even noticed, probably because I didn't even bother to look completely at his physical appearance because of my mutation.

"I can fix him" Wanda said quietly "If i get close enough-"

"No way, not gonna happen" I hissed before being interrupted. the man I had punched in the jaw was talking to two other security people. He pointed to me and they stared walking this way. "Oh crap."

"hey you, lets go sweetheart" one man said pulling me out of the already armed high-risk group. I didn't fight it, it wasn't worth it.

I was walked up to the front, next to the professor. He nodded once at me in greeting and I nodded back, confused by his lack of intervention. I was shoved to the ground so that I was sitting with my head at the same height as the top of the professors wheel. A sharp stabbing pain hit my neck and I hissed, going to swat at it like it was a pesky mosquito. A man was taking a needle out of my neck when my hand got to it.

"Whats that" I asked, my stomach feeling like it was drenched with ice.

"A mutation suppressant, Xavier said next to me.

I felt relieved, "well that explains a lot."

"Hey shut up!" Piotr said in a deep voice and I shot him a look before doing as I was told.

I came face-to-face with a pair of ankles. The person the crouched down to be eye level to me.

"Oh, you" I sighed and be-speckled girl only chuckled

"Yes, me love. Why is violence always the answer with you types?."

"What exactly is my type?" I asked through my teeth.

"Egotistical, think they're worth more than they are."

It was my turn to laugh. "Look pal all I ever wanted was to go get my freaking sister. And I succeeded. I was planning on clocking out for the day and just being a person agin until about fifteen minutes ago. This whole thing is not my fight. I just don't like my friends being threatened. Then it's my fight."

She gave me a sideways smile. "My darling Josephine" she began, pausing to examine my face. "Would you like to know something? Your mutation isn't the strongest, in fact some people might just call it pitiful. You can't see the future or read minds, you can only read about us" she said getting closer to my face, tucking one of my curls behind my ear. I flinched at her touch. "But guess what? You're also a little bit scary. In fact, it's scary as hell knowing that someone sees what you are, who you are, what memories you hold, what you fear the most..." she said trailing off "to be more exact; you know everything about us. A person can feel vulnerable in the face of a bear that has the potential to rip their throats at the first chance, but a person is infinitely more vulnerable in the face of someone who knows you too well, someone like you Josephine."

"And I'm the one with the ego here?" I said as a thought out loud.

"But since you can't read me at the moment let me fill you in on a few things. My father's life mission was to destroy mutants. Don't worry, daddy and I don't get along" she added seeing my confused face. "You see he wants to destroy them, I want to help them. There is so much to lean about mutants. So many different types of mutations science hasn't even touched yet." She gushed, getting excited by the mere thought of it all. "We just want to talk to your people is all. Explain how we can beat the humans with their registration act and go on living a normal life."

"You know what hotshot?" I said starting to get really annoyed at this chick. "As soon as I get the chance I'm gonna snap those stupid glasses of yours in half."

She smiled and straighten up. "Oh I'm sure you will Josephine, I'm sure you will."

A/N: sorry for the delay my beautiful people! I'm really excited for this.

I'm mostly excited that I finally included my favorite marvel character Colossus!

Question of the day: I'm interested in hearing your opinion on you favorite character from this story. (I know I have a lot to chose from lol I've killed myself by having way too many characters)

My answer: probably Wanda or Lorna. It's fun to write them.


	33. Chapter 32: Snow Bubble

Sound Track: Who We Are -Imagine Dragons

I had been sitting like a prisoner for the past ten minutes. It was getting to the point where I felt like I was going to explode if someone didn't shut this girl up. She wasn't even giving a speech yet. She was just talking to those who seemed like body guards.

My gaze started to get tossed around as to not go crazy and find something entertaining or something that could get me and those around me out of this situation. Then I noticed something; it's the end of January, I was outside and I wasn't freezing. I had been out walking (more like freezing) with Wanda just a few days ago.

Little white dots caught my eye and it was as I predicted; snowflakes were falling from the heavens, but they were not reaching the ground as they should have been doing. They gathered on the top of what seemed to be a giant invisible dome. They wold stop there like a fly bought in a spiders web, then they would melt and send tiny strips of liquid racing down the sides. I immediately looked around for the cause of it. It had to be a mutant, but they must have been out of my view.

"I just want to make one thing very clear, we are not the enemy here" I loud voice finally spoke up. "everyone on this lawn is a mutant, our visions are similar."

"Then what do you want from us at two in the morning?" Another voice said from the crowd, the only reason I knew who it was is because I recognized the voice as Sage's. Phoebe looked surprised, as if she had not anticipated being interrupted.

She paused, processing what had been said, "look, I won't lie to all of you; there is a war starting. Some are saying that it's dying with the fall of Trask industries" there was a change or dip in her voice when she mentioned Trask, I couldn't pinpoint if it was out of fear or hate. "But it's not, the circulation of the Registration Act is nothing but another way to force people to be afraid of mutant who may have a devastating set of abilities but may never use them for harm. My program is purely political, we're not her to force anyone to do anything."

"Then leave" Sage said. Phoebe clenched her jaw, clearly restraining herself. Sage got a couple sounds of agreement from the rest of the crowd.

"Listen to me for a moment!-" She cried, but she was interrupted by an object flying too close to her head for comfort.

Piotr, the guard beside me instantly became some kind of metal in a defensive tactic. I looked to the crowd to see a part in the masses and Marrow was in the middle of it, a look of defiance glimmered in her eye. It took only seconds for gunshots to begin to be fired. The crowd ducked down in sync like a school of fish, some people were collapsing from gunshots.

Chaos erupted as people began to fight back. Kids were being pushed to the ground and out of the way. I took the opportunity to dive into the crowd, pushing past bodies, looking for the green glint of my sister's hair. It was killing me not to be able to read people, it would make it ten times easier to spot her.

I saw her ducking the crowd with the small Rachel girl. They were running towards the institute. I instantly followed them. My mind was trying to find everyone I cared about as I pushed my way through a frantic and angry crowd.

My arm was suddenly caught up in someones grip "where are you going, sweetheart?" Phoebe's voice hissed in my ear as her tight grip began to drag me through the scattering crowd. I stumbled on my feet as I tried to stop her.

"let go of me" I growled.

"Oh no, no, no. We can't have that. You fascinate me therefore you're coming with me" she chuckled in a low tone. "Peter!" she called out and I looked where her gaze fell with panic seeping into my heart like blood oozing from a paper cut. My fears were put to rest when the steel man responded by looking up. "Sedative please."

"No" I seethed, trying to twist out of her grip. She gripped my throat by the base of my chin and held me still while I felt a thick needle plunge into my neck "don't" I whispered as I felt the world go black and my eyes rolled into my head.

My eyes fluttered open. The space around me was dark, the only light came from the crack under the door. The bed I was on was old and the thick woolen blankets where suffocating me even though I was not underneath them. The worn and sleepy spring in the mattress had sunk under my weight and I had to strain my neck to look around.

"You know, my life was so nice at first; happy family, normal life, big house, loving parents-" Phoebe's voice said. I looked up from the concrete floor to the black silhouette that sat with their back to the thick steel door.

"Just leave me alone" I said tiredly, moving my gaze back down to the floor. "I've had it with crazy people."

She observed me for a moment before continuing. "That was all shattered the day I found out I have a mutation. The people of my home didn't see me as the same ever since. I was treated like a witch, hated and nearly tortured. I was lucky that my mother saved me and then unlucky because she couldn't stop my father. You may know him, he's very famous. Bolivar Trask?"

I finally looked over at her, my eyebrows pinched together. "Yeah yeah, I know, he's a great guy" she said with sarcasm. "For Two years I was experimented on, needle after needle, experiment after experiment, lie after lie... My mother was brave enough to continue fighting for me, but she quickly found out that she could not handle a damaged kid like me. So at the age of 14, she took me to Queens to live with my aunt, uncle and my cousin, Coraline. You should have seen the joy on her face! Finally someone is going to fill her spare time, someone to be entertained by. I, on the other hand didn't know what to do. If I showed them what I could do, they would hate me. You see, they didn't know I was a mutant, they thought I was being sent away from a failing marrige. One day I sat alone in my room after my one of my ballet lessons. A kid had made fun of my eyes, being different colors you know. The tears where rolling down my cheeks, without realizing they started floating around me. This was still when I had no idea how to control my powers." I could hear the emotion in her voice as if she were reliving the moment.

She cleared her throat. "Coraline decided to barge into my room and ask if I could teach her a couple of moves from my class. When I realized the gravity of the situation I panicked; she had seen me. Before I could say a word she grabbed my hand and ran to my aunt screaming 'mutant! Mommy, Phoebe is a mutant!' My aunt, Ailla and her husband, Jacob stopped everything they were doing in the middle of making dinner. I expected to throw me out, but they just smiled and asked me to do it again. The way that this part of my family accepted and treated me was so strange and foreign. Coraline always told her friends about me with praise I never really deserved. She always defended me when I was called a freak. She would read with me books about elves, wizards, dragons, religions, science, art, anything. Ailla would comfort me when I was sick because of my blood disorder, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. It means I have a low number of platelets in my blood, due to some unknown cause. Jacob taught me how to fight, how to defend myself in a increasingly dangerous world."

"Why are you telling me this? Am I some sort of therapist to you."

She laughed. "No, you just have to listen since you're stuck in here and besides, isn't people your thing?" I winced. Wanda said those words to me/

"Who else did you take?" I asked, trying to sit up, feeling both the sedative and the suppressant wearing off.

"Just a couple of interesting friends of yours. That one girl with the long brown hair, she may just be more fascinating than you."

"What can I do? Why would you take me?" I asked, rubbing a sore spot on my head.

"You can help me. That mutant who can sort people is just a weaker version of you. You can read so much more than him."

I looked at her incredulously "I'm not working for you, you crazy bitch. Are you crazy?"

"No, but you will be. I won't have you persuaded like my dear friend Peter, you met him actually. His gift isn't as interesting but you always need some kind of muscle in an operation and his organic steel skins provides just that."

"Is that what you call brain washing, persuasion?"

"Brain washing implies theres no going back to who they were before, therefore I chose not to use it." she said nonchalantly as she stood up and turned the handle to my door. I turned my gaze to the floor

"Good night Josephine."

A/N: sorry for the delay guys! This chapter is a little boring but we get to learn about Phoebe more.

like always, I'm open to hearing suggestions (which would actually help a lot) or any feedback in general.

Y'all are so silent I don't know if it's a good thing or not. you're making me nervous lol

Question of the day: is there anything you don't understand in the story or I can help explain? I love chatting with you guys


	34. Chapter 33: Explanations

I woke up with a headache one morning, it was likely due to dehydration. I was refusing the majority of food and water that was offered to me, mostly because the person bringing it to me was Phoebe. When ever someone else came I accepted to offer. It had been three days now and I often wondered if there was a purpose for me being being here besides to serve as a pet of play thing.

Rubbing my temples, I stood up and walked to the tiny barred window, watching tiny snowflakes descend from the sky and pile up, nearly making my view of the outside completely white. My gaze fell to the floor, eyeing the glass of water that was for me. I clenched my fist, feeling my nails dig into my palm as I willed myself to resist.

Just as I shut my eyes to stop looking at it, the door swung open and a very exhausted looking Phoebe stood before me. Her eyes where blood shot and there was a purple bruise on her upper arm. I have to admit, it was hard not to crack a smile at her appearance.

"I need your help" she said slightly out of breath.

"I already told you I'm not helping you or your little cause" I said folding my arms.

"It's not about that this time" she said getting annoyed at me. "It's about your friend"

My demeanor instantly fell and I took a few steps toward her. "Who else did you take?"

"The insane one" she said, waving her hand as if too lazy to fully describe them. I knew who she was referring to and I pushed past her, racing into the hall. "Up the stairs and to the left" she said as I half walked- half ran own the hallway.

The lights that lit up the facility where fluorescent and hurt my eyes, they cast everything in a meek greenish glow. Nearly the whole structure was made out of the concrete that my cell had been, even the stairs.

There where people in lab coats and some in security garb gathered around what seemed to be a glass observation room. I couldn't see my friend inside because of all the people, but I pushed past regardless. They seemed to have know I was coming and cleared up a path for me. Wanda was huddled in the corner, her hands placed firmly over her ears, trying to block out the world. There was a choking sound coming from on of the men in a sterile white jacket. I looked from him to my friend and knelt down in front of her, taking her hands in mine, trying getting her attention from what ever world she was in.

"Wanda, sweetheart, you cant kill him, okay? I know this isn't where you want to be right now, but you have to stop" I pleaded.

"I want my brother" she whispered, looking into my eyes as if I could get him.

"I know honey, so do I, but we have to make due for right now. Can you let that man go for me?" I asked patiently, as if talking to a child.

The man behind me stopped his sputtering and gasped loudly, as if choking on the air that now could reach his lungs.

"Everyone out!" I heard phoebe say to all her people. "We've got it under control."

I shut my eyes, trying control my tempter at her words. After everyone shuffled out I turned to queen bitch herself. "Wanda, could you get the door please" I said to quietly and as requested, the door slammed shut making Phoebe jump.

"What are you doing?" she asked with poorly masked fear.

"You and I are going to have a little chat, you wouldn't happen to have a chair, would you Wanda?" I asked and she brought her hand up and seemed to pull two folding chairs from nowhere. I gestured for Phoebe to sit and with shaking hands, she obliged.

"What where you doing to my friend?" I asked, I a dead calm voice.

"We weren't doing anything, just observations. She kept asking for her bother and she became more and more adamant. Nothing we did could make her stop. She kept pulling things out of nowhere, dangerous things like knives and syringes. That shouldn't be possible."

"Oh, no it's possible you just don't understand. Wanda's telekinetic as well as being able to see and manipulate reality. But that's not what I wanted to talk about since you wont let me in that pretty little head of yours, I just want to know why you're kidnapping people."

She looked at me with a baffled expression. "We're not kidnapping people, we're saving those who are most at risk for experimentation, who do you think got all of those people, including your sister, out of that facility in Arizona?"

My mouth dropped open slightly, "how-"

"Those where people who used to work with my father. They wanted more research on mutants and they didn't care if it was illegal or not. Your sister, for example was an experiment to find out if they could kickstart a mutation before it develops naturally."

"But Erik..."

"Erik Lehnsherr was there because he was not aware of what was going on there."

"You came to the school with people who had guns-"

"Non-lethal ammunition" she countered.

"How where we supposed t take it?" I shot at her "oh look, a bunch of people are here with guns and they are rounding us up in the middle of the night just to talk? Let's listen to everything they have to say."

"Look, I don't expect you to understand, you're brash and always think you're the nobel hero, but we are not your enemy-"

"Prove it" I said quickly "let us go."

"I can't" she said and I rolled my eyes.

"That's a bullshit answer, yes you can."

"Well, I could let _you_ out, but not her."

"Why the hell not?"

"Her father" Phoebe said.

"Her father I can deal with, someone is gonna end up seriously hurt if you keep her like a bird in a cage."

"I want to see my brother" Wanda muttered, still curled in the corner.

Phoebe looked over at her, chewing in her lip. "Every mutant here is here by choice expect you two, it's safer than your school."

"Listen to me" I began in a serious tone "you are going to let us go. Then you're coming back to the institute and speaking with the professor, do you understand me?" I said, staring her hard in the eye.

She swallowed and hesitantly nodded.

"Good" I smiled "Now you guys wouldn't happen to have a telepath in your facility, would you? I would like to phone a friend."

* * *

A/N: after much road block and a family funeral I had to attend, I finished this chapter!

You guys learned sooo much in this chapter and I just wanna let you know that this story will we wrapping up in the near-ish future!

thanks for the support you guys, It means the world to me!

Question of the day: who's side are you on for civil war? Im gonna side with Cap on this one

for those who don't know the sides/ standings the U.S. Government proposed the Superhuman Registration Act, intending to register all super-powered beings as living weapons of mass destruction and requiring all costumed heroes to unmask themselves before the government and subject themselves to federally mandated standards.

Tony Stark: thinks the mutant registration is a good thing to protect the public and so they feel secure know who their hero's are

Captain America: thinks its negative to force people to be labeled as weapons as it could hurt their personal lives and ruin them as super hero's\

* * *

thank you to anonymouscsifan, for commenting.


	35. update

p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="5fdba7d5bb5314ad40b14245af5ac3c7"So I just stared college so I'll be a little bit busy. I apologize for the delay,/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="f2a10345bb2d3287c015412990baca60"I love you all! /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="f2a10345bb2d3287c015412990baca60"and thanks to: a style="color: #0f37a0; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14px;" href=" u/2519727/Just-Lindsey"Just Lindsey/a, aspan style="font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14px; color: black;"nonymouscsifan, /spana style="color: #0f37a0; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14px;" href=" u/5091232/Amandapanda7"Amandapanda7/a and, a style="color: #0f37a0; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14px;" href=" u/5993986/WhoPotterAvenge-X-Kane"WhoPotterAvenge-X Kane/aspan style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14px;" for reviewing, I love reading what you guys have to say, it lights up my day!/span/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="f2a10345bb2d3287c015412990baca60" /p  
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	36. Chapter 37

howdy folks! So I have been absent for a while (obviously lol) and now that I have a few free days for break a new chapter will be out this Sunday

Thanks for the love!

-Lou


	37. Warning: Construction Ahead!

Hello all! It's been awhile. Celebrated christmas, new year, my birthday (I'm getting so old guys...)

I finally found the need to work on my little love child (this story) I have started re-constructing it (seeing as though I started it 2 years ago yikes! and I have definitely improved as a writer). The changes will not fuss with the main plot but it would probably be of some value to go back and see what I've changed.

I love you all and thanks for being patient with me!

lots of love!


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